Every young girl in Avonlea is about to heaven as she can be. If you don’t know why then I guess you didn’t hear…
~ Anne And Gilbert
Someone this morning observed to me that Anne of Green Gables was “not a real person” and, as such, that they didn’t understand why she received so much attention during our call in P.E.I. At the time, I was at a loss for words – because as a bookworm, a Canadian and a theatre girl, it never occurred to me to question Anne. Anne just is…
Without giving it much more thought, I went out to enjoy my day in Charlottetown, I love it here. It reminds me of home. I know the reputation that the residents of the island have for being unfriendly to those who “come from away” and I’m sure I would perhaps run into that a bit more if I ventured outside of the main city; but all I’ve ever encountered here is kindness and good humour. And the kind of beautiful fresh air that you can only seem to get on an island. Truly, I would live here, and I don’t say that about many people…
Sipping on a bottle of raspberry cordial I wandered through the sunshine and ended up perusing the local used book store (and not for the first time, got a slightly bewildered look from the clerk when I laid down four Titanic history books, that often does make for an odd conversation when they find out that I also happen to work on a cruise ship). With everything purchased and in my overly large handbag, I inevitably found myself back in the audience of the Guild Theatre; watching Anne & Gilbert. And laughing, and crying, and …feeling…better about things. Better about life, in general.
Three years ago, this show saw me through a lot. Attending it was the light at the end of a long hard day; and as I sat there rewatching it, and realizing that I will likely return to it next week, I could feel it peeling back the layers of tarnish that had collected over the last few months. My heart felt lighter somehow.
Anne is very good at that you see…
And that’s when it occurred to me. No, Anne did not historically exist, but that does not mean that Anne is not very very real. She is a mindset, an attitude. Anne – and her fellow residents of Avonlea – are symbols. They are reminders that we can make our way through hardship, through all the ups and downs of life, including massive battles within ourselves, and still come out the other side of it all with only a thin sheen of jade over our sunshine. Anne’s ability to find the good in things, while still being stubborn and self-depreciating, and so stoically and totally herself against all odds, is something we can somehow all relate to. She is universal, she could easily be all of us.
And as such, Anne will always be a national treasure. Physically real or not.
Truly, I think we could all do better if we perhaps strive to be a bit more like Anne…with an “E”…
Master has often told me that good advice is still good advice regardless of the source. Real or fiction doesn’t matter when it comes to drawing inspiration, being able to take that deep breath and release it, then set our shoulders, face the world again to help make it a better place and ourselves better and stronger people as we do so. This was a timely reminder for me with the next few months coming up. Thank you!