Forwarded from a.f.l-k...  --JoeMc

Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1998 16:15:27 -0400
From: "Jeffrey R. Reed" <jreed64@cybertours.com>

The Lion King:
		The Best There Is,
		The Best There Was,
		and The Best That Ever Will Be!!

	An essay by Jeffrey R. Reed, inspired by the essays of Jason
Knight,
Jason Ahrens, and Matt Stoughton

	
	Hello my fellow TLKites! Before I begin to tell you the story of
how
"The Lion King" has changed my life forever, I would like to share
someting with you about myself, dear readers, that I'd like to get off
my chest.

	You see, my life is defenitely NOT normal, as I happen to be
afflicted
with a mental condition known as autism.  It's very mild; not nearly as
severe as Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man" (He REALLY deserved
the Oscar he won for THAT role!), but this is what I was diagnosed with
when I was in the second or third grade.  Because of this, my life has
not been easy, as my mind and the way it works is certainly NOT like
other people's.

	I think in pictures, meaning the mere mention of a word or
suggestion
of one triggers hundreds of mental associations.  For example, in
January of 1993, I was riding in the family caravan one afternoon with a
Sonic the Hedgehog comic on my lap.  Then the oldies station on the
radio started playing the 1964 song "She's Not There" by the Zombies.
Now, consequently, I can't look at the cover of that comic without
hearing that song in my head, and I can't hear that song without
picturing Sonic running away from Robotnik with Princess Sally in his
arms!!

	I also happen to think that I act a LOT like Phoebe from the NBC
show
"Friends", because both of us have been known to say the dumbest things
at the most irrelevant times. I.e., I once stated out loud in the living
room, "Who do you think would win in a street fight: Tommy Lee Jones or
James Earl Jones?" Weird, wouldn't you say?

	Anyway, the first ever time I heard of The Lion King was during the
previews on the VHS cassette of "Aladdin".  At the moment, though, I
thought it was just another ordinary animated feature and dismissed it.
Ha! Little did I know...

	But I swear I'll NEVER forget the afternoon of May 14, 1994. I was
thumbing through the latest issue of TV Guide, and when I came across
the section dealing with upcoming family entertainment
programs...well...I came across a picture that would change my life
forever.  Tell me, do you remember the camera shot that immediately
followed baby Simba's sneeze from the dust? Well, THAT was the picture I
saw: it was of Mufasa and Sarabi smiling gently and leaning their heads
against each other's, reminiscent of Archie and Edith Bunker doing the
same after they'd sing "Those Were The Days".

	The profound joy and happiness I felt upon seeing such an example
of
deep love for one another touched my heart so deeply that I swore that
I'd go see that movie A.S.A.P., and try to collect everything I could
that was connected to it. Unfortunately, I couldn't for several weeks,
because of an extremely painful cyst, which resulted in having to have
rectal absess surgery done.  But I didn't mind too much, because while I
was bedridden, my family would bring me TLK Skybox cards and Panini
Stickers for my album.  Believe it or not, all four of my siblings went
to see it before I did!!

		(end part one, to be continued..)