She is not only the most adorable little bluefish in the ocean, but she also actively fights back her mental disorder, speaks whale and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. In 2003, Finding Nemo gave us the best character to ever bless the seven seas.
Dory was a favorite of mine from a young age and not much has changed. I stole her motto at some point in my early childhood and continued to use it as a reminder to keep trying even when things get rough. When I was on the swim team in high school it was an ironic song to hum under the chlorine water and to yell back and forth across pool lanes to my friends and teammates.
In my earlier college years, I taught swim lessons to kids of all ages and chose to annoy them into keeping up the good work by singing Dory’s song very off-key in the echoing pool room. It didn’t always work as intended but it usually got a laugh from my students.
Now we are only in the second month of 2021 and things feel harder than ever. If it’s not politics, it’s the virus. If it’s not personal life, it’s professional. If it’s not real-world problems, it’s the fact that I am so very tired of winter. I am not the only one in this boat, or “butt” as some under the sea may refer to it. I have spoken with family, friends, students, co-workers, even some of my professors have remarked or alluded to a feeling of hopelessness these last few weeks.
I think we are all feeling a little blue right now and there doesn’t seem to be an escape, or as my fish idol would say “es-cah-pay,” from it. Call it what we will; “covid-fatigue,” seasonal affective disorder, depression, etc. we can all feel a little blue right now and take note from a little blue fish who is wise, strong, kind and funny. She taught me at a young age to “just keep swimming.”
In times of hopelessness, I try to find the strength to keep swimming and if I’m feeling silly enough, I’ll even sing it to myself like I once did to my students. The idea of perseverance is a hard one to grasp for children and adults alike, but “just keep swimming” is a nice reminder that if we just keep going, just keep moving, just try again after a perceived failure or let down we can have immense joy and huge successes at the end of our journey.
Dory is the reason I and others have such a catchy mantra to go by in hard and hopeless times. Welcome to 2021 everyone and remembers to just keep swimming.
Rebecca Pratt can be reached at [email protected].