Be Real: What I’ve Learned So Far From My Little Pony

I have a 5-year-old daughter. As you can imagine, Jane is passionate about many things – glitter, Play-Doh, candy, and My Little Pony.
Ladies – this is not the My Little Pony of your childhood. These are modern day adventure ponies. And, did you know there are also My Little Pony shows that feature the ponies turned into tweens?

Oh yes. My Little Pony Equestria Girls feature the pony characters as young women. And, Spike, the adorable dragon, is now a cute doggie.

Jane’s current obsession is Equestria Girls – Camp Everfree. It is a short movie (runs maybe an hour) about the girls and their trip to a summer camp outside of town. Basically the girls are all excited to sleep in tents, paddle canoes, hike the forest, etc. However, it turns out the brother and sister who run the camp have fallen on hard times and the camp is about to be sold or taken over by a character named (you guessed it), Filthy Rich.

The plot is so on the nose, yet it is so dang entertaining.

Here are some life lessons I have learned from watching My Little Pony:

1. You are nothing without your friends. Any issue that comes along can easily be solved through the “power of friendship.” Literally, they say this throughout most of their programs. And, it is so true! When you are having a bad day or confronting a problem, there is no one better to rant to than your best bud! You don’t even have to hold hands and allow rainbows to shoot out of your ears.
2. There is magic in the world. While the magic in our world does not even come close to the magic of My Little Pony-land, there is still magic to behold. A bird’s song, a rainbow, a hug, a kind word – these are all types of magic that we can see every day. We just have to be looking for it. 
3. Work hard for what you believe in. In this episode/mini-movie, the class wants to build a dock for the camp where they are staying. They all work together to come up with the plan, then they all take their parts and build the ramp. It gets broken again and again throughout the mini-movie. How frustrating! And, while they do get frustrated, they keep rallying each other and re-build the ramp. In many cases, there is nothing that a little elbow grease can’t fix.
4. When all else fails, sing a song. Frustrated your evil plan isn’t coming together? Sing about it. Sad because you had a fight with one of your friends? Sing your heart out. Worried you aren’t good enough? Belt it out, girlfriend. I love singing and there is a song for every occasion – just find the one that fits your situation, turn the volume up, and go for it (preferably in the car, the shower, or somewhere you won’t get too many odd glances).
5. Be more like Pinkie Pie. There’s a scene in this movie where one of the girls can touch others and see what they are thinking. She touches Pinkie Pie and sees a parade with Pinkie leading it, lots of confetti, cupcakes, and upbeat music. Everyone could be a little more like Pinkie. She sees the glass as more than half full – generally her cup is running over. She likes to cheer everyone up and is a huge source of positive energy. Even though all of that might be a bit much for the rest of us to commit to on the daily, it is something to aspire to be! Sir Isaac Newton taught us that an item as rest stays at rest. In this case, when you choose to have positive energy that will emanate throughout your entire day and hopefully fill your weeks, months, and years with a happier, sunnier, Pinkie-er outlook.

Positive energy is contagious, y’all, go out there and catch some! Better yet – give some to someone else who needs it.