I was 16, going on 17 when I truly recognized the mesmerizing quality of Liesl and her merry troup of curtain-wearing siblings.
It was most certainly not the first time I had seen The Sound Of Music. In fact, I’d watched it approximately five times a year since the age of three. But there was something so intrinsically different about hearing the lyrics of “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” at the exact moment I turned 16.
I am not one for birthdays, and being struck with a bout of flu on my 16th was a blessing in disguise as I was allowed to lock myself in my bedroom with the frolicking Von Trapps and not made to feel guilty about wasting my youth. Unsurprisingly, I was a hermitic teen and hearing Liesl admit that she knew nothing of bachelor dandies and drinkers of brandies sparked a sentiment of comfort within the confines of my flu-ridden soul. For, like Liesl, I was timid and inexperienced in the world. But seeing her twirl her way through her naivete gave me hope that I could too. Even though I have amassed some cynicism and a few more years under my belt, I am still twirling. And somewhere, I know that Liesl is too.
