Context: written sometime after Frozen.
Dear Mama and Papa,
Running a kingdom is…it’s a lot. Sometimes, I look out from the castle and all I see are things that aren’t working.
Kai is one-of-a-kind, often reminding me of your wisdom.
Today, I was struggling to make a decision for an upcoming meeting with dignitaries. I was so overwhelmed with anxiety and I couldn’t bring myself to make a decision. I was so frustrated with myself for not being able to just decide.
Kai found me at my desk and pulled a chair up. It reminded me of you, Papa, sitting down beside me to calm me. Just like you, Kai didn’t sit to look at me, he sat by my side as though we were in it together.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect to be good and meaningful,” he whispered.
I felt overwhelmed with emotion. Those words felt so powerful…they reminded me of you, Mama. I put my head in my hands and wept.
He continued:
“I can remember hearing those words as I’d be about the castle turning down for the night. As I’d pass your room, I’d hear your mother’s voice gently drifting into the hallway.
“When Gerda and I would be preparing for something and stress was running high, we would often hear a voice from a doorway, ‘It doesn’t have to be perfect to be good and meaningful.’ She would come in and help us sort through whatever it was we were doing.
“To this day, when one of us is overwhelmed, the other will whisper those words. Often, it is accompanied by a tear as we reflect on the precious nature of life. It causes us to stop and recenter ourselves on what truly matters. She lives on within us, within you.”
He sat with me for a few more minutes and then he left silently. As I think about missing you and the beauty left in your wake, I can feel my tears slowly climbing down to my chin and then gently dropping to my dress.
Thank you for reminding me things don’t have to be perfect to be good and meaningful.
Love,
Elsa