Tag: movies

Thankful for Tourniquets, Multiple Perspectives, & Signs of Progress

Day 3,977

Growth:

This line from No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy has been resonating in my brain for the past couple of weeks. How often do we allow ourselves to be distracted, to chase a frustration that really should be let go, only to lose more of our precious time and life energy chasing down that which was never really taken from us?

Even in moments as simple as being stuck in traffic, this quote really slaps:


You wear out, Ed Tom. All the time you spend tryin to get back what’s been took from you there’s more goin out the door. After a while you just try and get a tourniquet on it. 

Cormac McCarthy, No country for Old Men

Appreciation:

On Friday night we went to watch The Odyssey as a family. As a bunch of fans of both Christopher Nolan and Greek mythology it was a sure winner. Over the past few days my mind keeps getting drawn back to it for a variety of reasons, What I’m most grateful for today is the ability of people to pause, listen to a specific story, and then shift the perspective of a main character in a major way.

I’ll save the spoilers, but let’s just say that the Odysseus of the movie and the Odysseus of the Homeric epic are driven by very different motivations. They still do much of the same adventuring on their return trip in search of their home, they have some of the same characteristics, but the character flaws and motivations are different.

For me there is a beauty in seeing the same person through multiple perspectives – no one but the person living the life itself actually understands the full picture (and I question if they ever actually do either!). To look from multiple views helps us better understand the complicated weavings each of us humans are, tapestries of experience and thought and emotion and circumstance.

Christopher Nolan – cheers to another master class in story telling!

Presence:

Woof! The sensation of leg muscles being just about worn down over a prolonged time – not ideal, not necessarily something I enjoy, but something I can greatly appreciate. Each slightly stiff and slightly tender step reminds me of the work I’ve been putting in. Not all sunshine and rainbows, but each little moment of discomfort is a reminder of putting in the reps, or progress being made.

Hot yoga this evening really helped to loosen everything up a bit, I’m feeling like all is well. That said, tomorrow will be a minimal effort day, an opportunity for my body to catch back up a little. Another form of progress was felt when I was able to stretch a little further a little more comfortably than usual at that practice tonight – more signs of growth!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Lost in the Flow, SUP Yoga, & The Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack

Day 3,944

Growth:

You know you’re working on something personally meaningful when literal hours melt away as you work on it. You go to bed late, you’re exhausted, but at the same time your mind is so energized it can’t help but keep working through the next several steps. You wake up in the morning and the thoughts and ideas are still resonating in your mind. It’s almost like rather than creating it you’re unleashing it, setting it free. Wildly fulfilling for sure!

Appreciation:

Talk about the perfect activity for a crazy hot and humid day like this – Becky and I hit our first Stand Up Paddle Board class of the summer! After a couple of stormed out evenings we were out on the water soaking up the sun while getting wet, enjoying the breeze, and relaxing on the lake. So wonderfully calming and still, the right activity to get outside, be active, and enjoy the heat!

Presence:

Wild how music can magically transport us back to certain times, rekindle old memories, summon old emotions. For some reason the soundtrack of The Last of the Mohicans came to my attention and totally blew my mind. I still remember way back when that movie came out in the early 90’s. I owned the VHS and watched it so many times the tape had to have been about ready to snap! The CD of the soundtrack was one of my most heavily played discs as I fell asleep at night.

The movie itself was outstanding in so many ways. While I can’t remember if the plot completely held up, the music, the scenery, the cinematography, the way they all blended together for the emotion and the feel of an expansive wilderness pushed it over the edge. So many iconic scenes in that movie, but the gut feel of the movie is what really resonates is the overall emotion.

One song, so many memories, so much emotion.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Goals, an Awesome Bad Movie, & Cards with Gavin

Day 2,991

Growth:

Goals are wildly helpful tools to help us grown and improve – most of the time. I sometimes struggle with balancing a goal for the sake of being a goal with the essence of what the goal was intended to create. For instance, one of my goals in 2022 was to read over 100 books. I crushed it, that’s a success, right? This year that wasn’t a goal and I have had more days like today in which I have a balance of reading, some quiet time to process, some focused thinking time, conversations, and some musical relaxation. Having the mix today seemed more rewarding than the hard core focus on reading last year, but without the extreme focus on the goal of reading 100 books in 2022 would I have had built the habit of reading so much that in an “off” year I would read well over 50 books?

Maybe it is something to consider on a moment by moment basis. Which is more important in this moment – achieving the goal for the sake of achieving the goal or missing the goal but living into the intention of the goal?

Appreciation:

Guilty pleasure time! One of my favorite movies is totally a bad movie in so many ways, but the redeeming factors of it make it one of my most frequently watched movies. Yes, like books, when I find one I like I go back to that well over and over and over again. This morning I fired up the TV while getting my bike ride in on my trainer in the living room.

The movie? Point Break. Nope, not the original 1991 version starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze (although I really enjoy watching that one too). I am talking about the Point Break of 2015 with an IMDB rating of 5.3 on a 10 point scale (btw – Ernest Goes to Camp earned a 5.5 rating). So I am for sure not talking about one of the greatest cinema masterpieces of all time here.

Here’s the deal and why I am such a huge fan. There is a strong focus on the importance of being outdoors. There are so many beautiful locations used in filming and each viewing reminds me of why I have a passion for travel, especially outdoor vacations. One of the themes is very stoic in nature – we control our choices and how we respond to life. The action sequences involve actual stunts like the squirrel suit scene which had never been done prior to this movie. Throw in a struggle between who is actually the protagonist and antagonist and it has a bit of everything.

Sometimes we can pause to appreciate something that is less than perfect. For me each watching of Point Break leaves me smiling, thinking, and dreaming of future outdoor escapes. Honestly, it motivates me to get off my ass and do something. Whether the move is rated 5.3 stars or 9.3 stars (The Shawshank Redemption – THE BEST of all time) it can be enjoyed.

Presence:

I’m now typing this section almost an hour after the rest. Just as I wrapped up the previous section Gavin asked if I wanted to play some cards. Yessir, you bet I would! We then spent almost an hour talking, playing, joking, & listening to music. Pretty epic end to the day!

Thanks!!!