I just watched this lovely movie over the weekend with my daughter. It was a delightful surprise. I LOVE stories that show someone growing in the garden of life–literally. If a film can make you feel good, inspire and delight—it is my kind of movie. I left feeling better than when we started watching it, so in my book that is a win!!
Story Line: A broken girl who was abandoned and has fallen into a world of rigid routine who dreams of being a writer, but mostly just wants to feel the freedom to truly fly. It is a bit of a fairytale, mixed with personal growth, fun characters who help break barriers and nothing but happy doses of smiles, flowers and friends.
A FEW OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS MOVE:
Mr. Wilkinson: I can’t forgive this, you have squandered everything nature has given you. Nature has always held so many treasured lessons for me on a personal level, so seeing a piece of yard that had not been nurtured or kept up made my heart sad. It also reminded me of my own yard and how much beauty is there and that I often take it for granted. This movie also made me want to go buy more colorful flowers, learn about them and include them in my personal landscapes. So many beautiful petals.
There was a part in the movie where Mr. Wilkinson (her grumpy neighbor) calls Bella and gives her a sob story trying to get his way, trying to manipulate her.
Bella Brown: You know, I believed those things you said.
Mr. Wilkinson: Why would you say that?
Bella Brown: Vernon told me how many times he’s heard the exact same stories. Shame on you.
Mr. Wilkinson: You should doubt only a man who changes his story. I only repeat myself in the vague hope that one day somebody will actually hear me.
The lesson in this for me is how often we have people in our own lives who say things to get a reaction, to seek attention, to cry out & do we truly listen?? There are always people who need something from us—our love, attention, service, etc. Do we listen or try to be aware of others genuine needs.
There was a part when Bella has a guest in her home who is helping clean, make meals, etc.
Vernon: You’re feeling sorry for yourself.
Bella: No, you have to look at the facts.
Vernon: Come on, stand up. Just stay still. I don’t want to hurt you.
Vernon hugs Bella.
Vernon: When was the last time you were hugged?
Bella: It’s been awhile.
To me this was a very sweet moment. We all need connection. We need touch. We need others. We need to feel like someone cares.
She’s always had a preoccupation with order that would have tried the patience of a saint, never mind the nuns at Saint Fedelma’s. [Her outfit that she would wear daily was probably inspired by the nuns she grew up with–she had multiple versions of this outfit hung properly in her closet.]
This reminds me of trying to understand my daughter and her need for order. Her and her father have this “order obsession.” Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that they both like to be neat individuals with order and cleanliness, but it borderlines obsession when sheet corners have to be tucked just so, nothing out of line, shirts tucked in, journals placed a specific way and so…the list goes on. Bella’s obsessive ways reminded me of the two, lovely people I desperately try to relate to and understand such a need. Where does it come from & how does it not drive one mad?
It is good to surround yourself with people who will have your back! Vernon and Mr.Wilkinson grow to genuinely care about Bella and want her best interest. They become very protective. It is great to see all these characters grow, change and bond.
We need those types of relationships in our own lives. Seek out those people who will enrich your life, protect your feelings and help you grow to be your best self.
Charming, creative Billy. He catches Bella’s eye. He was visiting the library on various occasions and looking for various people & their works. He was always learning, creating, looking for inspiration.
I can relate to him and his need to learn, seeking inspiration, having many ideas, projects, directions. I think all of us on some deeper level have creators within us. We have an internal need to create something, whether it is music, art, the written word, a photograph, an inspiring speech, etc. Follow those needs, seek out creating and look for inspiration all around you. It is there, waiting for you to open the door to follow.
A dream. Bella has a dream to write a book. We all have dreams that hide in the hidden parts of our heart yearning to be free. Dreams help us fly to a higher part of ourselves. Bella has a beautiful story woven within this story of her finding her wings and being able to finally fly to her higher self.
She blooms in flowers. Bella begins to learn and grow with the sweet teachings of her troubled neighbor. She begins to nurture and care for the plants and herself.
This is a great lesson that we all need self-love, to find a deeper love for ourselves and those things around us that matter most.
I don’t want to spoil the movie for you. Just go watch it!! It is a definite feel-good movie.
Have a lovely day! -H
LEARN FROM CHALLENGE: Sometimes you learn how strong you are through the struggles you go through. Deb wanted to find a way to connect on a deeper level with her husband, so she took him to a soup kitchen. Oh, the lessons they learned together.
HAVE A HEART OF GOODNESS: Deborah had a way of looking beyond the exterior and finding the heart of goodness in anyone. She brought out the good in people. She gave them a chance. She had a dream about a man…I had another dream. It was about a poor wise man who changes the city. …Can’t you just see it?! Flower boxes… A place where people know they matter just as much as people on the other side of that tunnel?!
BE TRUE TO THOSE AROUND YOU: I fell in love with the love and respect these two men shared. They were strangers, grew closer together through challenge & found a lasting friendship. Before I answer your question about being friends, something I wanna ask you. Something about white people always bother me. When white people go fishing, they do catch and release… See where I growed up… when we finally caught something on the line, we’s real proud of what we got. [We sure didn’t release it.] … If you is a white man that is fishing for a friend and you just wanna catch and release, then I got no desire to be your friend. -Denver
WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING GOOD INSIDE US. No matter what, Bless him. Your daddy got a good man inside of him. Sometimes you just gotta bless the hell out of people. Your daddy had a lot of hell in him. -Denver
WE ARE ALL THE SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT: She was different. She saw me behind them bars and reached down and pulled me out with the key God gave her.
EVERYTHING HOLDS A TREASURE, A GIFT TO SOMEONE: God’s in the recycling business, of turning trash into treasure. -Ron
I believe this movie was a genuine gift to my little family. It touched every single one of us on various levels. My daughter never cries during movies and rarely cries about anything, but was genuinely touched and became so emotional. It was a beautiful gift to see her emotion. My husband seemed to have a new outlook on possibly trying to find some avenue to help people in some way. I felt so much gratitude to be a family. It was a lovely gift to all of us.
Some would say this is a slow moving movie, but I can appreciate a movie where you fall in love with the characters and wait to find out what happens to them and their stories. I loved seeing a sober side to Eddie Murphy (Mr. Church) and I also love Britt Robertson.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO IMPROVE YOURSELF–Mr. Church was always doing something that improved his world–reading, writing, playing the piano, painting, cooking…he was a good example of this to “Charlotte”.
YOUR PAST DOES NOT HAVE TO DEFINE YOU–There may be dark secrets, hidden things about someone’s past, but it does not have to define them. Mr. Church gave and gave, but struggled with demons from his past.
ALWAYS BE KIND–Always be kind to others, you never know the impact you may have on someone else’s life. There was a sweet relationship between Charlotte (Charlie) and a guy named Larson. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so you will just have to watch.
LOVE IS A GIFT— The relationship between Charlie and her mother was sweet and very loving. In the end her mother worries that Charlie would only have memories of the pain of her dying and not all the love that was shared. That was a tear-filled scene. It was very heart wrenching.
“Go and do something good with your life” were Charlie’s last words to her childhood friend Owen.
I am a seeker of good things. Religion has always been a tough one to grasp for me on a personal level. I have always seen the lines of division and have a deep longing to understand things on a higher level. This movie talks to a variety of different religious leaders and seekers. It had some good lessons to share.
EVERYONE IS A SEEKER
IT IS INNER PEACE THAT LEADS TO OUTER PEACE
LOVE
THE MANY PATHS TO TRUTH
SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Words are just like leaves that blow off a tree. How do you SHOW your love? This lesson speaks volumes. People can talk and talk, spewing words that have no meaning or no true nature. People can easily trick or manipulate others, but when one has to go deeper than just words there is real feeling & truth.
There are three things that cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. (Buddha) There are always the things that cannot be changed in life. Truly the truth will always be a standard for letting go & finally being free.
“Make peace, show them that you love them, and be truthful.” -Dr Sinja Just LOVE
Sometimes you just need to SHUT UP!! Jack had a friend that had to finally knock him out, tape his mouth shut to truly help save himself. I think we can all relate to this one. Sometimes it is better to shut up, hold your tongue and just listen. In order to truly understand someone else’s needs, we may need to shut up and hear them.
What you send out into the world often comes back to you. There is a point in the movie where Jack decides he is going to remove them problem (the tree) & just chop it down. But, what happens is he ends up physically hurting himself in the process. Life is like that. We often lash out at others or handle things poorly & it comes back to make things worse within our lives.
“You. Me. We. Eternity.” -Jack Life is not worth living without family. Family is the greatest gift we are given. It is what we do with that gift that will matter most.
“I guess you never know if the last time you see someone is going to be the last time you ever see someone.” -Jack Hold the present moment with those you are with. Life has a way of making you take for granted the time you seem to have. Each moment is a gift you are given, so be present with those you surround yourself. You never know when it will be your last.
“Sorry. It’s quite amazing, how many thoughtless words one can speak? Don’t you think?” -Dr Sinja We are told we speak between 60-80,ooo words a day. It is amazing the conversations we have with others and ourselves. What are we truly saying? What are we saying to ourselves? Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. We are saying something in everything we do. What do you put out into the world?
“You need to find the truth about yourself. It’s quite simple Jack. You need to get quiet, not just with your mouth, with your mind. And in that quiet you will hear the truth. Do you have any other unresolved relationships in your life?” -Dr. Sinja Do you spend any time getting quiet? That is a great life lesson you can begin at any time. Just make the time to go within, stop your words and listen. Find peace within yourself.
Dr. Sinja: “You only have a thousand words left…and then…”
Life medals: There was a great part where Eddie’s mom gives him a tin box as a boy to keep all his “olympic” medals in. You see as the story goes, that he tries numerous sports which then causes him to have multiple pairs of broken eyeglasses that he puts in the tin box. I loved the image and metaphor of each pair of glasses being his medal of determination. We could all use a special box or place that we collect mementos from our life that illustrates the many times we try different things within our life. Maybe it is a collection of photos of places we visit, a box of screenplays that we are constantly drafting, a portfolio of illustrations we collect to see improvement, pieces of jewelry that symbolize different memories…etc.
It’s never too late: Eddie had numerous people tell him that “You do realize the time to start jumping is when you are five or six?” -Bronson Peary BUT, this did not stop Eddie from pushing forward no matter what anyone said.
Never give up: “You’re not going to give up are ya?” -Bronson Peary Eddie was shear determination from the beginning. He was told at a young age that he should give up on any sports because he had troubled knees. He had surgeries and wore braces for much of his childhood. The doctors told him to “take up reading,” so the first book he picked up was about the Olympics. This one book, coupled with his will to never give up led him to one path—the Olympics! “A true Olympian is not a God-given skill set. It is never giving up.” -Warren Sharp [played by Christopher Walken–Peary’s old coach] This was the epitome of Eddie and his determination.
Great article about the true Eddie Edwards & his story—more details about how he truly did not give up—
Don’t let anyone take away your dream: There were a few characters throughout the movie that challenged the character of who Eddie was determined to be. He had multiple times where he had to push back on people who were trying to stop his dream.
Challenge anyone who is there trying to stop you from becoming your best: Eddie’s father challenged him on numerous occasions, but Eddie was confident in his determination and ability. At one point Eddie’s father said, “Name me one British ski jumper.” Eddie answered, “me.”
Your moment: In the movie Eddie said, “I needed my own moment. A moment to prove them all wrong.” I think many of us get caught in searching and searching for something that will give us a ‘big moment’ or feel like we have something to prove to others. I think if we can find the many moments that make us grow, shine, inspire–then we will look back on our lives & have many moments we are proud of.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else: With Facebook, Instagram…our world is turning more into a ‘compare and despair’ problem. Eddie was thrilled with each little success. He did not look at the other athletes and see his jump was half theirs, he celebrated in his personal wins no matter what anyone else thought. Eddie’s coach shouted in defiance, “Personal best and we’re a disgrace!”
Be yourself: Eddie’s first jump in the Olympics was not anything compared to the other jumpers, but Eddie celebrated, danced, found joy in the moment & his enthusiasm was contagious & lit up the crowd and won everyone over. He became a crowd favorite. His bird dance won him the name, “Eddie the Eagle.”
Walk the talk–ACT: Eddie was a person of action. He may not have been the best on the hill, but his heart was one of action and determination. The top jumper knew Eddie’s heart & knew that neither of them could leave the hill without doing their best. Eddie had never tried the 90 meter jump, but he was determined to. “I did not come here as a novelty act and I will not be going home as one.” He took action despite fear and possible death.
Always DREAM: Joy: What happened to us? What happened to all the things that we used to dream about for our lives? I just feel like it’s getting further and further away. You can see and feel Joy wondering what happened to the little girl who always would create and tell beautiful stories. She was worried that she was loosing that part of herself. I think we all have moments like this, where we wonder what happened to our dreams, how we lost track of time and how we were going to get back on the path to following our dreams. They are just baby steps away. You can take one little step each day to learn something new, to talk to someone who is living your dream, to begin preparing to leave your job, to take small steps in the directions of your dreams. [Old or New dreams]. Just begin.
Just Do It! Create: Joy: In America everyday people make of what they will of themselves. I’m going to do something. This makes me want to share tiny stories about big companies that started small. Melissa & Doug toys began with one toy 25 years ago & they sold it out of their station wagon. Nike also began out of the trunk of Phil Knight’s Plymouth Valiant. Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Disney, Mattel–all began in garages. We are all creators. It is just a matter of finding what inspires, motivates and lights you up.
Don’t let the Naysayers in: Mimi: [to Joy] You don’t exactly have your whole life ahead of you, but you still have a good portion of it. Peggy: Joy has never run a business. Rudy: It’s a big mistake. It’s my fault. I gave her the confidence to think she was more than an unemployed housewife. Peggy: It’s a fantasy! Joy had to push beyond her limiting family and the beliefs they had. Joy was determined to rise above. We each have people like that in our own lives. People who may belittle our dreams, who may naysay our ideas. Rise above it and begin to believe in the possibilities. Remember: there is a positive and negative energy in everything. Do not surround yourself with those that are heavy, who can’t see the vision, who do not lift you and your ideas up. They will weigh you down in the end.
Believe in Yourself! If you don’t, who will? Joy: I have real ambitions and real ideas. Tony: What if they don’t see you? Joy: They’re gonna see me no matter what. Joy had quite a few obstacles that she had to handle and in the end it was her pure determination that got her through. Each one of us will have walls that we hit within our lives and we have to figure out how to hurdle over them. Whether they are personal insecurities, having to learn something new for a job, changing jobs, creating a space to pursue a dream or just pushing forward when life gets tough. If you don’t believe you can–find a way. If you can find pure will, there will be a way. Believe.
Trust those people who have your back: In the end, Joy was betrayed by many she loved, but she also learned who would always have her back. We have people who come and go within our lives, but hold tight to those who will be loyal no matter what. They are the true gems that will be worth the most in your life.
Be yourself! Even if it scares you. [backstage at QVC Joy is dolled up and given a poofy black early ‘90s style dress]
The Real JOY
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