Put Your Helmet On

This is, hands down, my favorite Pixar short. It gets me every time!


But, why does it bring out such strong emotions in me and probably a few others? ("Alright, Amanda, how are you going to stretch and twist this, to make it applicable on a blog about service?")

Personally, I think we find this story touching because humans respond at the soul-level to examples of true, stubborn, self-sacrificing love.   Whether we're consciously aware or not, I think we recognize real love when we see it.

Nobody would have blamed that stork for finding another cloud partner. His farewell letter could have gone like this:

Old friend, it's not you...it's me! You have many great qualities, and I would never ask you to change for anyone, especially me! But, we simply don't work well together. There is another bird out there for you--I'm positive. The two of you will have more in common--he'll really enjoy being bitten by sharks--and then you'll see our separation is for the better. And I will always cherish the good times we had together.  Love, Your Ex-Stork.

Can the stork really sign that note with "love?"  I'm not so sure. Because 1 Corinthians says "love is patient" and "love never fails."  Even more applicably, love "always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres..."

Of course, nobody likes being bitten by sharks. Which means, the next person to attempt a partnership with the thundercloud would encounter the same problems. If some issues need to be addressed eventually, why not work it out with his long-time buddy and avoid the painful break-up all together?

Let's not take this metaphor too far. I'm not suggesting that women (or men) in abusive relationships need to "hope, trust, and persevere" through pain and degradation.  It isn't "selfish" to protect your life. Perhaps some people watch Pixar's "Partly Cloudy," and see a poor, co-dependent stork who can't get away from a terrible relationship, even after years of mistreatment. I could see the parallel.

But I don't see an evil or willfully-abusive cloud. I see the kind of pain and difficulty which come part and parcel to every close relationship in the world. For me, the story represents an elderly man, who feeds and clothes his wife long after Alzheimer's claims her mind, because he promised to love her until death. That's painful...but sometimes love is. Or, the stork could symbolize a mother, willing to sacrifice body and soundness of mind just to remain close to her child. 

We're willing to take a lot of "abuse" from our kids. Being a parent hurts. But, out of love, we just put our helmets on, and go back for more.

My favorite part of the movie is when the helmet-clad stork puts his arms straight out and makes the "bring it on" motion with the tip of his wings. That 's love. And I believe we should have the same attitude of perseverance in all of our relationships. On-going abuse should not be tolerated. But understand: it hurts to be selfless.

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Personally, I think the stork has every right to demand counseling with the cloud and ask, "Darling, is there any way you can give me something a little easier to work with, now and then?" This idea we shouldn't ask someone to change is absurd. We all can understand why the stork would appreciate a furry puppy or duckling once in a while. But, my point is, whether we feel our friends or children or spouses are doing their best to make our relationship work, we should display an attitude of love.

Sometimes, in love, you have to put on your helmet and go back for more.