Now the Hunchback of Notre Dame is one heck of a story, isn’t it? I loved the old movies depicting this tragic tale.
Cool-Man Quasimodo. Just the name makes you want to watch. Who knew a bell-ringing Hunchback could be so jammin’.
The movie I remember the most is the famous 1923 silent film version starring Lon Chaney.
But there were several remakes over the years. I liked the first talkie a bunch too. Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda. Of course, all the films are based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel.
My favorite scene, ALWAYS, is when Quasimodo sweeps down… …as much as a humpback can do… and then grabs Esmerelda.. and THEN rushes into the Cathedral yelling “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!”
If you have never seen this scene… see it. It is a classic.
Anyway… I was pretty young when I first watched this movie.
Not long after that…. I can remember playing outside all day… and being all covered from head to toe in dirt. My knees were skinned raw from an accident…. earlier in the day. I tried navigate a skateboard down a hill. Unsuccessfully.
But back to the HB of ND. I figured I might be in some trouble when I got home that day. I was pretty scruffed up… more than usual. So when the streetlights came on, I headed home. The kitchen screen door slammed shut as I tried to slink in.
So…. With all the dramatic flair that I could muster … I walked through the kitchen, reenacting the Quasimodo One-Legged-Limp. … with my arm all scrunched up behind me. Throughout the length of the performance…. . I was calling out … “Sanctuary. Sanctuary.”
My antics weren’t met with much of a reception. In fact… I probably would NOT have gotten in any trouble had I left the joke at the door. As it was… straight to the bathtub and then to bed. No discussion.
These days… I still yell out “Sanctuary. Sanctuary.” You know… when I am having a rough day… or a bad time of things. As with my childhood… just calling it out doesn’t have much effect. But it makes me feel better sometimes. Like….. when I am in the middle of Walmart…. surrounded by Walmart.
Seriously though, when I am smart enough to recognize those places in my day… which may seem hard or difficult…. I try to remember that they are truly blessings.
It is during those times which challenge us, that we have the possibility to grow. I am supposed to be there, where ever “THERE” may be. And I tend to believe… that during each moment in our lives…. we can choose to grow and learn from our experiences … or we choose to stay the same.
When we choose to begin again, and the ensuing growth, awareness, and compassion that follows, we have found the true form of sanctuary. The haven of inner peace.
Quasimodo may argue this one with me. I don’t blame him.