Pictures by Helen Rowland
Copyright 1952
An apology is due to whichever sibling I may have stolen
this book from. I think it had been
around the house for a while before I decided to inscribe my name in crayon
inside the front cover. The backwards "a"
and "n" seem to show that I was too young to know any better.
I do clearly remember having this book read to me over and
over. Sitting in the greenish-gold arm
chair, next to my mother, I studied the pictures while she read me the story.
It is a classic fairy tale with many variations. The basic story tells us of the friendly
family of three bears - Papa, Mama, and Baby.
One day, while their breakfast porridge cools, they decide to go for a
walk. Soon, a golden-haired little girl
comes upon the house, and walks right inside.
Helping herself to the porridge, she finds Papa’s great big bowl too
hot, Mama’s medium size bowl too cold, but Baby Bear’s wee little bowl just
right. Therefore, she eats it all
up. That’s not enough for little
Goldilocks, though. She wanders through
the rest of the house, trying out the chairs and even the beds. The silly little girl is caught fast asleep
in Baby Bear’s bed by the bear family after they come home and find the
destruction she has caused. Suddenly and
belatedly wary, she runs down the stairs and out the door, never to be seen
again.
Most obviously, this is a cautionary tale about wandering in
places you don’t belong. Goldilocks
should have known to respect the property of the Bear Family by not entering
their home uninvited.
To me, though, this is a story that makes me think about
what “just right” is. Not too hot, not
too cold. Not too hard, not too
soft. “Just right” for Goldilocks may
not be “just right” for me or you. “Just
right” this year may no longer be “just right” next year. What strikes me is how little thought is
involved in knowing what is “just right”.
It is instinctive. We know when
we have too much or too little of something.
Trust your instincts to know what is “just right” for you.
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