I've been a fan of fairy tales, particularly the ones retold by Disney, as long as I can remember. I was practically raised watching stories of dashing princes, compassionate princesses, and of course, happily ever after. I wouldn't say they led me to be ignorant of the harsh realities of the world, but they did make my childhood a bit more magical.

Looking back, it's probably a good thing that all of these movies about true love, being yourself, and happiness, in general, was a part of my world (see what I did there?) which I believe helped to develop my optimistic personality. One of the more notable films that I watched on repeat was "Mary Poppins," though I usually lost interest around the halfway mark once the more vibrant songs were out of the way.

As an adult now, I am quite accustomed to the problems I encounter often. I don't even remember what I was expecting a year ago when the clock struck midnight and 2018 arrived, but it sure as hell wasn't what I received. I know I'm not alone in remarking what a dumpster fire of a year that 2018 was.

Personally, the biggest hurdle I encountered last year was toxicity in general. Its lengthy spectrum caused me a lot of pain, heartache, and anxiety. As much as it hurt to deal with, I always felt a ray of hope coming from the future and that one day everything would be OK even though it seemed entirely impossible at that moment.

When "Mary Poppins Returns" was announced, my initial reaction was "meh" before I knew they had cast Lin-Manuel Miranda as one of the main characters (I had to stop whatever I was doing and smile/dance around whenever an ad with his voice came on my radio station). I went to see the movie with my sister and was just in awe how a modern movie could make me feel like I was back in my childhood feeling familiar Disney magic with a new element of fun. I didn't have quite this reaction to other remakes and sequels that Disney has made recently, but they never fail to make me walk out of the theater daydreaming about the movie, its message, and how it applies to my own happily ever after in real life.

Adult life is stressful. It is frustrating that Hollywood seems to be overly interested in recycling old ideas for movies nowadays, but I say let them at it if they know what they're doing. If I can become a kid again for two hours and have an extra pep in my step for the rest of the day, then keep the magic coming.