Troop Beverly Hills Changed My Life
It’s happening. We are currently experiencing a Polar Vortex. People are seriously cold. Most of society is inside their homes, sporting a mismatched sweat pant and sweat shirt combo, balancing Netflix binge watching with the constant refresh of the Twitter/Instagram newsfeed. Or, that’s just me. When given solid amounts of free time, it seems appropriate to find productivity in gleaning inspiration from some dear old friends, Troop Beverly Hills.
I fell in love with Troop Beverly Hills. It had balance beams, bangs and best friends. It was packed with leotards, leggings and lessons of victoriously overcoming trials in designer clothing. I begged for a balance beam inside my house. I imagined my own future troop years to be full of store front stages to sell cookies with powerful solos and group dance numbers. I expected sashes full of patches earned by dressing up in party dresses and identifying the 4 C’s of a diamond. I dreamed of camping out in The Beverly Hills Hotel bungalows with my best friends and room service. I knew what I wanted in life: good girl friends, shopping trips, performing on a stage and becoming an Olympic gymnast.
The same hopes and dreams that were ignited by Troop Beverly Hills have followed me into my twenties. While I have not achieved the fame and (let’s be honest) fortune that is necessary to garner a Beverly Hills lifestyle and wardrobe, I did fulfill my “khaki wishes and cookie dreams” in little ways.
1. I became a Girl Scout.
Instead of get-togethers in the Beverly Hills Hotel, most of our meetings were held in the school cafeteria. We didn’t get to go shopping on Rodeo Drive, but we did get to go to Sea World. We didn’t sing and dance on a stage of a storefront, but we did hold hands and sing ‘Make New Friends’ at the end of every meeting. My Girl Scouts experience was short-lived but I made good friends, sang some catchy tunes and accessorized my sash with a few colorful badges.
2. I was a gymnast.
My career did not follow in the footsteps of Dominique Moceanu like I’d always hoped for but I did wear a leotard, learned a few flips and found out that the balance beam was not my best event (probably just the result of never having a beam in my house, I’m sure).
3. I spend most of my life singing and dancing.
You could even call it my career. Although nobody pays me to do, I work pro-bono. You’re welcome, world.
4. I took a trip to Beverly Hills and shopped on Rodeo Drive.
5. I’ve celebrated the importance of lifelong girl friendships and what it means to encourage one another to persevere when our walking bridge gets cut down in the adventure course of life.
I cannot resist the mention of a good metaphor.
Troop Beverly Hills does not have the kind of ratings you would want in a movie you’re committing 106 minutes of your time to. However, I will tell you that this movie is the stuff that little girls dreams are made of. I’m not a movie critic, I’m just a girl who had her life changed by Phyllis Nefler. Thank you, Troop Beverly Hills, for lessons in fashion, friendship and the freddie.
Brooke is a middle school teacher who spends her days attempting to make teenagers laugh. She missed her window for “child star” but is still hoping she’ll make big things happen someday. She loves funny movies and does an impeccable impression of “The Meg Ryan Walk.” She pretends she’s on a cooking show whenever she cooks. You can read more about the things she does to embarrass herself here and follow her on Twitter.
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