Did you ever think about where our childhood stories came from? As usual, I have my own theory…I’m sure there is a professor somewhere that will disagree with me. But, it doesn’t really matter since I am thinking of my own experience. I doubt these are the reasons for these tales but, it makes me happy to think someone else in history dealt with what I deal with daily. It connects me to my ancestors in my twisted little mind.

Due to my health concerns, here are two of tales I relate to:

Jack Sprat and his Wife

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean.

This rhyme never made sense to me…Until…I tried my husband’s cardiac diet after his heart attack. This particular diet was very low in fat and high in good carbs. Well with my sugar issues I was thrown into a chemical tailspin. I was eating good healthy food. What happened?

Here’s the thing, carbs, even good ones, are like heroin to me. It’s bad but feels so good. Too good! Then as with all drugs comes the CRASH! I fall harder than most with sugar (that is what all carbs break down into: Glucose and energy, aka sugar). I get headaches and the shakes. I also get weepy and mean.

In today’s world, Jack would have a heart condition and his wife would have diabetes or glucose intolerance. Think about it. What is poison to one, is sustenance to another. My husband (Jack in this tale) needs to keep his cholesterol very low. With diet and medication his cholesterol is below 180.  To do this he needs more carbs. The oil he is allowed to have, must be of high quality.

Now let me look at Jack’s wife (Me!). She can have no lean. No carbs! Hello Atkins and Paleo. Actually my diet is a modified paleo. I need protein, high quality fats, and carbs from plants (mainly veggies and potatoes). No refined carbs at all. You want to know what is absolutely banned from my diet? Cake (in all forms)! I could never be Marie Antoinette that’s for sure (sorry a little history thrown into my fantasy world).

So my dear husband and I can order a dinner out and literally lick the platter clean!

The Princess and the Pea

The story in is about a test to find the prince’s perfect princess (say that three times fast!). She must be made uncomfortable by a small irritant left in her bed under a bunch of mattresses. Talk about high maintenance. I think the girl had a serotonin deficiency long before serotonin was ever named or identified. I should know I have been diagnosed with this malady.

One of the things serotonin does is help regulate our senses. When serotonin is low the senses do not filter out the background input from the world around us. When serotonin is working well, I don’t notice every noise, light, touch, taste, or smell. They meld into the background. When I’m off, I hear every voice and noise in a crowded room all at once. I see the piercing light around me, and smell everything in the air. I feel my clothing rub against me skin and even taste the scents in the air.

So Miss Princess was hyper-sensitive to touch. She was fine with the soft, silky, lightly scented with lavender, sheets and pillows. Dinner had been delightful. The room was quiet, the ambient temperature, and soft moonlight was perfect for sleeping. However, one irritant in the bed destroyed her restful night. The pea sealed her fate as a high maintenance Princess. I can so relate!

My theory you ask? The tales came from observing the differences in people around the storyteller. Then embracing the uniqueness in each person, the tale continues to detail how they made their individual traits work for them.

What tales do you identify with and why?

May all your fairy tales come true! Enjoy!

Milly