Disney/Pixar is good. 

They don't put out a lot of stuff that flops. 

Remember when "Up" was released? And all the buzz around that movie? I think that was one of the first animation movies that seriously made me cry. In the first 5 minutes, too. Impressive. 

Oh, but they have out done themselves with "Inside Out." 

The movie centers around a family that moves cross-country from Minnesota (I know, right?!) to San Francisco and how that impacts an 11-year-old. 

I'm not here to write a review of the movie (I LOVED IT) but I wanted to touch on the core of it. The moral of the story. 

Sadness is not something to fear or avoid. Trying to avoid sadness is what breaks us. What turns us angry. Or scared.

Avoiding sadness prevents joy from truly being a part of our lives.

Being sad isn't fun. I've struggled with depression since I was a pre-teen. I can go through periods of being fine and then the heaviness settles on me with no notice and no indication of how long it will linger. It can range from a general melancholy and lack of motivation for a few days to something incredibly painful over a longer period of time.

I spent the majority of my teenage years (and beyond) trying to avoid the pain that was there, trying to keep it an arm's length away. Through therapy is where I learned to not hide from that sadness. That in order to move past it, I needed to feel it. 

And that sometimes you just need a good cry.

Which is what "Inside Out" beautifully showed. 

Who knew that a little cartoon would have such a profound impact on this 37-year-old? A cartoon that did not have anyone named Elsa or Anna in it, I may add.

xo Sara