Take Notice of The Little Princess

A few posts back, I mentioned that for preparing to watch S2 of "A Discovery of Witches," airing this January on AMC+, that I've sought films and TV series of new cast members. There are several films and TV series I could spend hours watching in order to get a sense of Steven Cree as an actor. He has been posting photos of himself on social media about his character, Gallowglass, appearing in the second season. Steven Cree is well known to fans of Outlander in his portraying of the character Ian Murray for, so far, two seasons. Unfortunately, seeing I'd need some hours to invest each day in a new series, or that some film titles couldn't be accessed immediately, the choice was obvious. Outlander is such a popular show and it helped him get the funding to complete his own project. Watch the quick, 10-1/2 minute film, The Little Princess, for which he not only starred, but also wrote and produced in 2018.

Watch this before reading the next section. The Little Princess:

The film demonstrates that there is always a way out of that tunnel vision of doom thinking. A child character appears from out of nowhere to the man on the platform appearing sad, and she breathes some happiness into the space that they share. It'd be cruel of him to ignore her. Newly occupied with her presence, how could he actually still follow through with his plan to end his life, and have this innocent child be a witness? She's there to act like a vessel delivering a new thinking pattern; jarring him out of this stuck state of mind. It's brilliant with its simple workaround because of their language differences. Kindness is universal. Amazing and beautiful, thought-provoking and hopeful, this is all I needed to understand who and what makes Steven Cree someone to look forward to watching in S2 of "A Discovery of Witches."

An afterthought: 

For this writer, that same stuck thought process the man has at the beginning, indeed, happens to those dealing with the loss of someone they love to suicide. A friend's life ended too abruptly 18 years ago on Christmas. They were unable to wrangle themselves out of the deep abyss, which was rooted in depression and masked with irrational anger. The emotions never cease to resurface and did again with the viewing of this short film. The photographic memories along with recalling the sensation of my friend's hands pressing into the back of my shoulders; their fingertips firmer and different than anytime we hugged before that night. The timeline hovers over me, from the last time we shared an evening together, and every extraordinary minutia of detail revealed about what happened next. Closure is impossible, but accepting this fact is helping each year's holiday season become less daunting. This film reinforces the message of not giving into ruminating -- shaking one's self out of spiraling despair. When something wonderfully special happens, I'll grant myself five minutes of joy and I try to remember it when I need it again later. Christmas and New Year's are now treated as a regular day, but often to seek out peace and self-care. The end of the year definitely can feel like I'm arriving at the end of an endurance test.

Please reach out, if depressed or lonely, and call this number 800-273-8255 and do not be alone, stuck in your thoughts. No judging; always a person who understands and listens.