The Red Shoes Story Illustration

Next story on my list to study before the #folktaleweek2019 is “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen. It is about a little girl and her desire for the red shoes. She chooses the shoes over more important things in life like her family. As a punishment, she cannot take them off and she is sentenced to dance forever as a lesson for other children. She cannot stop dancing and she is exhausted and scared. She goes to the executioner to cut off her legs but she is hunted forever by the shoes. The story ends with the girl's forgiveness and redemption, but only after she has come to terms with her sin as she dies.
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A little dramatic story for a children's lesson.
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I could not take out of my head the image of a girl who is so obsessed and passionate about something. It reminded me of myself escaping to my work. I used to make it my priority because it made me feel good and excited. It is good to have a passion in life. It gives us motivation and a purpose. But it should not be a priority.
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We cannot forget what truly matters. Although it seems impossible we need to seek a balance between the things that are important to us personally and the people that we love. A good marriage, children, friends, and family is hard work. But it is something real. Our relationships will last for a lifetime. Careers, new iPhones or red shoes are just temporary. Instead of escaping the hard moments with people that we care about we should drop the desires and try to make it work.