Have you ever read Anne of Green Gables? It’s a well-loved children’s book by L.M. Montgomery, published in 1908. It chronicles the childhood of an orphan girl taken in by two middle-aged siblings living on a farm on Prince Edward Island. People (including me) love it because of Anne’s vibrant personality and her uncanny ability to get into scrapes. As I mentioned in my most recent reading roundup, I recently reread this lovely little novel (and the other 7 books in the series). I found myself once again captured by Anne and her world. It also left me reflecting on my life and how to infuse it with a little bit of Anne Shirley. So here are 5 lessons I’m taking away from Anne of Green Gables for 2021.
Take Time for Your Imagination
Anne’s life at the turn of the 20th century seems full, but simple. Many scenes opened by describing someone approaching Anne with her chin in her hand, eyes unfocused as she built imaginary lands. But this didn’t come at the expense of her ambition! I’m irked that most ambitious or “smart kid” characters are consumed by their studies. They seem to be completely focused and constantly on top of their duties.
Maybe I’m just relieved to find a bit of myself reflected in a character. I find it refreshing to read about a smart girl with big life goals who also messes things up. And the fact that, throughout her life, she makes time to enjoy her imagination. Even as the mother of 6 kids, she finds a half hour between getting in bed and falling asleep to dream all her impossible dreams.
Some People Won’t Like You
Anne grows up in a small town, and one of her schoolmates gets it in her head that Anne is uppity and thinks she’s better than everybody. At first, it grieves Anne. She wants to be well-liked! But eventually, she grows to laugh it off, since the entire family seems determined to find fault in other people.
Can you do that? Can you shrug off other’s disapproval? I’m not very good at it. But it’s a lesson worth taking. Not everybody is going to like you. And that probably has more to do with how they feel about themselves than it does about you. So don’t worry about it!
Talk to Your Partner/Friend/Family When You’re Upset
Ok, so this example is from a later book in the series, but I thought it was a familiar scenario, so I’m sharing it with you.
Anne notices that it is her 15th wedding anniversary, but her husband has seemed distant. Immediately, she spirals into believing that it’s about her. She’s grown old, she’s lost her sparkle, this is what marriage is going to be for the rest of her life. He clearly no longer loves her and isn’t fulfilled by their life together. They are invited to dinner at an old college chum’s house. This chum happens to be someone that dated her husband back in the day. Obviously, Anne is convinced that he is taken with her – how could he not be? Look at how well she’s aged, how engaged he is in their conversation.
That night, before bed, her husband comes into their bedroom and dances around with her. He’s a doctor, and one of his patients had been near death, but finally pulled through! He presents her with a thoughtful anniversary gift, and all is well.
I’m left thinking, “Why didn’t you talk to him about it, you dingus?!” But how many situations in life could be diffused if you had just talked with the person you were upset with? So many times, they are just occupied with something else entirely. (One time, I felt like my husband wasn’t very present when I was trying to be affectionate – turns out he had the Power Rangers theme song stuck in his head and it was very distracting.)
So just talk to them, ok?
Simple Desires in Life Can Be Enough
This goes back to Anne being ambitious and bright. She teaches for a few years before getting married, writes a few stories and poems for publication, but settles into being a mother and wife for the majority of her adult years. And she is incredibly fulfilled by that.
What follows is a more personal lesson than one that I think is widely applicable, but I’m working to find and enjoy simpler things in life. I think I have internalized the societal pressure of only valuing “great achievements”. But we’re allowed to define our own measures of success, right? So maybe I won’t ever be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company (please, never make me do that!), but I’ll probably spend a lot of time learning cool skills and applying my abilities to a variety of situations.
And stepping back to identify that I would much rather do the latter than the former is healthy and will help me enjoy it more.
The Bend in the Path Ahead Beckons
Finally, I wanted to share a part of Anne’s journey that wraps the other 5 lessons from Anne of Green Gables for 2021 into one: the bend in the path ahead. There is a point in Anne’s life where she realizes that her life wasn’t going to unfold the way she plans. She had planned on going to college – she even received a scholarship for it! – but due to a family tragedy, she instead takes up a teaching job right out of high school.
This is devastating to her. She had big plans to go off and get her degree and become a writer. First, she takes a little time to grieve the future that will not be – then moves on. She resolves that her life path, which had seemed so straight and clear, instead had a bend. She couldn’t see what was around the bend. But until she got there, she may as well enjoy the walk.
Right now, given COVID and being in Berlin (and the job hunt issues that came with it), the road I’m walking isn’t at all what I had planned. But I’ll get to a bend in the road someday. And until then, I’m going to try and live these lessons from Anne of Green Gables for 2021.
