It is interesting to have been writing this blog for over ten years…a type of musing, historical and personal narrative of stories woven into my life. The crazy thing…the almost maddening thing is that my posts I get the most traction, the most views, the posts that I hope will make a change in even one life…all leads to “Lessons learned from Movies.” My top ongoing posts are movie lessons. I think it is very interesting, but so is trying to find lessons…any lesson from a movie.
Perfect example. I don’t usually just sit around watching movies, but the other day I was drained and just needed something to entertain my weary brain, so I scrolled movies. I came across Chris Evans (think Capt America, Knives Out…) and his directorial debut movie, “Before we go”. It looked like a slow, easy watch with possible interesting characters. I hit play.
It was definitely one of those slow moving movies that I thought, “Will there honestly be ANYTHING to learn from this movie?” But despite little content, I was able to find a few nuggets and ideas to play with and work off of. So, here we go. I think, with some very creative ingenuity you MIGHT be able to find at least SOMETHING from a movie that could be construed as a life lesson held within the corners of the movie magic. Movies are stories and we humans LOVE storytelling. We love to see characters evolve, struggle, fall in love, fight, come out stronger and live better. It is magic. It is hope. It is emotion. Movies do have a magic that I hope we will always seek SOMETHING to walk away with that may guide us to a little better part of ourselves…and ultimately to a better life or at the very least a lesson learned.
The story premise: Two strangers stuck in Manhattan for the night grow into each other’s most trusted confidants when an evening of unexpected adventure forces them to confront their fears and take control of their lives. -taken from imdb
[Now, if you are planning on watching this movie—there MAY be a few movie lines, topics, images or possible spoilers fyi]
The Pay Phone turned time machine: There were a couple points in this movie where the characters talk about turning back time, what they would do differently, what different questions they would ask, what conversations they would have with their past or future self…etc. I thought it was a cute scene with a playful idea for anyone to try.
FUN Exercise: A few options—go find an old landline phone at a thrift store or antique shop OR better yet… take a friend and go find an old payphone and ask yourself some great questions: Have fun with it! Take fun selfies and make it a memorable life exercise. [Pretend you are on a phone call with your younger self] What would you tell your younger self? What advice would you give them? What choices would you change? What friends would you keep or let go of? What did relationships teach you? What is one of your greatest life lessons you have learned so far? What is something you would tell them to do? What is something you would tell them to never change? What could you do today or within the next six months that your future self would be grateful for?
“Sometimes you just have to make the choice and jump.” -Brooke This could be used with so many life occurrences. You jump to fall in love. You take a big leap in changing careers. You have to choose who you want to spend your life with & jump together. You make a choice and jump to change life direction and have a family. Every choice takes a leap of faith of some kind. Whether you leave the comfort of where you grew up, go off to college and make new friends, leave the country for a masters degree, fly to Asia to finalize a deal, change your routine by adding a dog to your life, eating differently because of your personal health risks…the list goes on. There are choices and big jumps you have to make all the time. Choose wisely to live your best life.
“Ive got to be grown up. I need to be okay with not being okay and that sucks.” -Nick I don’t care who you are, EVERYONE feels like this at various points of their life. In reality we all have these younger versions of ourselves within that carries around fears, anxiety, regret, childhood wounds, insecurities…as adults we are told to handle it all! Grow up! Be okay! There are experiences, days, situations that you may fall apart and not be okay or ready to handle. Be gentle with yourself. There is enough out in the world fighting against you—don’t you beat yourself up too. Be kind to that little part of you that is afraid, that doesn’t feel equipped to handle life on occasion, that wants to run and hide, that may be having an off day and needs your love and care. It may be a day that you don’t feel okay and that sucks…and that’s okay. Take the day. Recharge. Regroup and show up better for yourself and those around you. Find that part WITHIN you that will refill your cup of what YOU need. Don’t seek external things to help you feel better. YOU FEEL what you need and do that.
“I heard you play. You loved it.”- Brooke. “I kinda feel like it doesn’t love me back.”[his trumpet playing] -Nick. I think we can all relate to this on some level. We may have things we enjoy doing or creating and may be talented in some areas, but maybe not enough to feel warranted as a professional or able to do it as a profession. Maybe I can just relate because I LOVE creating—children’s books, plays, art, writing, photography, etc. I have tried and tried to get articles published, taken writing classes, talked to professional book agents, sent proposals for photography projects, connected with other play writes about ideas…on and on my list goes and it doesn’t ever seem to go anywhere. One project after another. I get lit up by ideas, projects…but sometimes I definitely don’t feel like it loves me back…because it seems to go nowhere. BUT, I continue on. WHY? Because what is life without our creative dreams? Where is purpose if we don’t seek it and exhaust our efforts in our endeavors. BECAUSE when we finally make it…a sweet gift of determination and action will be beautifully unveiled and presented within the loving patience of an undaunted life. May we hold firmly to that resolve and continue forward in creation and hope.
“The point is..so what. I don’t need to know my future—Im going to live it any way. You have to believe it (a psychic reading) to make an impact.” -Brooke. I have always been intrigued by psychic powers and their gifts and abilities. I am somewhat of a skeptic, but I also believe that there are people who definitely have gifts to share with the world. Why not someone who has very strong, intuitive gifts. It is an interesting idea for sure. It takes me to the movie, “Big Fish” where the main character in the movie had a psychic show him how he dies, so his entire life was lived full out without a worry or care or fear because he knew how he died. He became the very best version of himself because nothing stopped him.
This is an interesting idea—how would you truly live if you had no fear, you knew your future, you had an idea of what would happen in the future, etc. Just this morning I was talking to my husband about our life and where we go from here. Where do we think our daughter will be in six months, what we should plan for in the next year, the possibilities, the options, the outcomes, etc. I literally said, “I wish I had a crystal ball” haha. Would that REALLY make a difference? Does anyone actually know what is going to happen—-no. They are going to live their life any way. You could have a crystal ball or a psychic reading and you may get a glimpse of something…but not everything. You may see yourself happy in a new house in connecticut but a month later you get a health scare. You may be (like my neighbor) who is happy and has three houses but just got the news of breast cancer. Things happen no matter what & you still live it anyway!
This just made me think of another psychic reading situation that my daughter’s old boyfriend had. His family had been in a terrible car accident & he lost his father and sister when he was 3. His mother survived a 10% survival—she was lucky & he was blessed to have her in his life. He told me that his mom believed in readings & had one done on him when he was younger BUT never told him what the reading said. I cannot imagine what that created in his mind. Why wouldn’t she tell him? Was she afraid? Did she know something that he shouldn’t know? We will never know, but I know it could make you question, wonder, worry…BUT, HE still has to continue living. He hasn’t stopped because of the unknown or the tragedy that befell his family.
You think you are trapped but you actually have choices. You are just afraid to look at them. -psychic. How often in life do we create our own stories out of fear and make up some crazy scenario that we are trapped and have no choice in life. Our mind can create and imagine and catastrophize and snowball. Life truly is what we create, choose, and ultimately make. It is what we choose to focus on. We can see the good or bad—it is what you focus on….you will find it. so, doesn’t it seem reasonable that IF you FEEL trapped on any occasion that you would seek to find some way out of any type of trap. Right? You have options. Maybe you are afraid to look or find them.
But what if those things that really matter—those choices aren’t up to me? -Brooke YOU always have a choice. YOU live your life. Even if there are other people involved in your life—YOU ultimately have a choice. That is freewill.
You can’t allow the people you love determine how you love. -psychic guy LOVE is an individual thing. In any relationship—it is two people who come together to create a life and loving relationship together. TWO people coming together. That still holds each individual in the relationship a responsibility to love and be loved. To bring the love you are capable to the relationship. To become better in loving yourself and then another. BUT, YOU cannot allow the people you love and care about to determine or expect you to love a certain way. YOU bring, carry, share, determine, and allow your LOVE to be given freely from YOUR heart. Not someone else’s.
There is no perfect. There will always be struggle. You just have to pick who you want to struggle with. -psychic guy. LOVE THIS!! This is one of the truest statements. No one is perfect. NO relationship is perfect. People struggle period. It is a gift to have someone in your life that you get to lovingly and willingly struggle with. That is a great relationship. One that lasts. When you are able to care for someone enough to sit through the struggle and be there for them no matter what—that’s love.
Is it possible that you could meet someone that’s perfect for you but you are committed to somebody else. -Brooke
If you’re committed to someone you don’t allow yourself to find perfection in someone else. -Nick. I thought this was a beautiful statement in the fact that IF you truly are committed to someone—no one else matters. There will be beautiful people who catch your attention or you may wonder what if’s about this or that of someone, but in the end, your heart knows. Your heart has another level of commitment that doesn’t change, wonder or engage in any other possibility. Your heart holds true for that one person that means so much.
We love who we love. It can suck. -Nick
This can and does happen. We fall hard and it falls flat on another. That can suck.
How could a night be the worst and best day of your life. -Brooke
That is life! The journey is full of ups and downs, experiences that change us, people we encounter and wonder at length about their stories, people who come into our life with a lesson that changes us, strangers that smile with connection, fears that catch us off guard & seem to slow us down in the chase of life, WE get to have the best and worst days on so many levels….it is a ride. It is a life well lived on any occasion.
I think we both had some things we’d been putting off for way too long. -Nick
We all have things that may haunt or hinder our progress. We may procrastinate and put things off. Just be honest with yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror. What do YOU need? What do you feel you are putting off? What are you not being honest about? Is there someone in your life you need to let go of? Is there a hard conversation you need to have? Ask yourself some hard questions and begin. Stop putting things off. Life is too short.
God. Why is it that any one decision always seems too small to be the biggest decision of your life.-Nick. Small decisions all add together to make the whole sum of your life. So, it makes sense that every choice, every conversation, every judgement, every line crossed, deed done….creates your life. There are not small decisions. They all have tiny paths that lead to bigger destinations. Choose wisely the seemingly small decisions that will have a bigger impact than you can imagine. Life is in session. Live it. No regrets.
Have you ever had a feeling… and just knowing somewhere in your bones that somebody was going to play a major part in your life? -Brooke. Ask yourself this question. Look at your life and begin to notice the various people who stand out and why. Take some time to genuinely thank them for being such a major part in your life. They are the main characters who support and love you. They make your life what it is. That is worth a sincere moment, letter, card, convo of thanks, right?!
And at the end of the night, you’re gonna want to say some things, but don’t. Don’t ruin it. It’s nothing she doesn’t already know. Just give her a kiss. Wish her good luck. And, uh… thank her. Thank her for showing you that you can love more than one person in this life. -Nick I do believe that people can and do come into your life for a reason—maybe its a story they need to share with you to help you through a turning point in your life, maybe its a text that someone randomly sends that brings you peace for your day, maybe a relationship comes and goes to help you know you are capable of caring for someone…we are all connected and share in emotions, a look, a sincere hug, a needed smile, a word of encouragement, a promise of a better life, an inspiration…we can all love and be there for one another in a time of need. Whatever that looks like.
In finalizing this post—I would definitely say, that even though a movie may not seem to have a whole lot of wisdom from a distance. smile. smile. I FEEL I was able to find some good lessons. There are gifts in everything—if we simply look…we will find the magic.
Peace. Love and Light to you. -H
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