Imperious, Impervious: Julie Andrews, Where Art Thou?

       And just where is Mary or Maria when you need them?! 

       "And the imperious, vain, starched, miraculous Mary Poppins arrived at the Banks household, blown by the wind, her landing softened by her magical umbrella..." cites one review. Perhaps with less aplomb or mystique, Maria arrived at the von Trapps for similar reasons (on the surface to aid the children, but eventually we discover deeper reasons). While she takes longer to gain traction, Maria has her own methods in challenging the authority of the household and win the hearts of the children (and that of Captain von Trapp, of course). A number of interesting parallels (at least to me) present themselves in "Mary Poppins" and "Sound of Music", some of which I have been utilizing actively in my professional practice and timely, given our current circumstances.

       Going beyond the obvious common denominators, it is noteworthy that two of the trademark songs that occur early in each movie featured Julie Andrews providing the children melodic methods for coping with things they find in bad taste or otherwise out of their control. A version of Cognitive Therapy Mary and Maria, respectively, offer is a way to restructure our thoughts or experience (i.e. mitigate) when we find them repugnant. The environment and circumstances we are currently experiencing are 'target rich' for applying the lessons from "Spoonful" and "Favorite Things". We have little choice but to endure the primary ingredients of the pandemic (bitter pill indeed, Mary Poppins!). Until the storm is over, Maria urges us to turn our attention to those circumstances that are under our relative control and/or look forward to "when this mess is finally over with" (we have all said this in one form or another since March). Dramatic examples of these are found in many testimonies of people who were waiting to be rescued at sea, literally dying of thirst and hunger, who talked about the meals and especially deserts they would finally devour. In "A Code to Keep" (about the longest imprisoned civilian during the Vietnam War), Ernest Brace describes how he engaged his mind during times of excruciating captivity, partly through rewinding old movies in his head and constructing complex math problems to solve (all without the aid of any technology, of course). Exemplary courage and fortitude.

       While we might not possess the magical powers of Mary or Maria and lack the fortitude of Ernest, we have opportunities abound and immediate access to mindful strategies to soften our experience in the coming months. On the other hand, if Mary or Maria were open to further employment, there are still households-in-waiting.