Movies As An Escape

Have you seen the movie The Holiday? I kind of like this movie....well who I am kidding I love this movie! In fact last night when I woke up at 2:15 with a killer migraine, and couldn't go to sleep I finally popped this in at 5 and it made the time pass by rather nicely...it is kind of like my Excedrine® Migraine in NZ. Sea Jay made me watch it this Christmas at her house and then before I left for NZ she sent me the DVD in the mail (I have GREAT friends!)

Well, I have watched this movie many times. And my friend Michelle laughs at me at the "life lessons" I seem to get from this movie. But Kerri and Sea Jay and I decided a few years ago that movies and books were a very acceptable form of escape. They kept us from really leaving our lives, giving us a few brief moments in our day when the only problem was, "Is the main character of the book or movie going to get what we so desperately think they should?" But sometimes, movies and/or books also give you a good laugh in your day when your life reminds you of them. There are many things I could choose to analyze in this thought process...like do I watch too many movies? Do I live in a fantasy world? Should I just live my life and forget about the funny dialogue in my head that happens throughout the day? But I will choose not to because that just seems silly...

Tonight I drove out to my friend's house a half hour outside of town. As I drove there I had that funny moment of the running "movie dialogue" in my head. I sat in traffic....I know?!!! Who knew there was traffic in this itty bitty place? But it reminded me of how much I LOATHE traffic. As I traveled outside of town to Kiwi Fruit country, I had to laugh at my life. Remember that scene in The Holiday where Cameron Diaz has landed in this tiny town in England and is driving into town (on the opposite side of the road)? She is running away from her life's problems and trying to pretend that she has it all together....yeah that was me tonight.. I was so far out, all by myself, trying to get over my really bad day, and all of a sudden I turned down this little road and started to laugh. I sometimes wish my life really was recorded (then secretly slap myself thinking....HECK NO do I want my life documented...I am straight crazy sometimes!) But tonight, was one of those moments, as I drove down this tiny road and thought to myself--"yikes don't hit me" to every car that was coming by and reminding myself to stay left, and was lamenting too myself how pathetic my life is quickly becoming...I just started to laugh. My life really was a scene out of The Holiday--minus the hot passionate love affair with Jude Law...but I do still have 2 more months here. hehehehe

Sometimes movies and books are an escape for me to give me enough of a break to go back and face reality. Sometimes my life is the book or movie and I laugh out loud at myself, which also then helps me face life again realizing that it can't be that bad and I always just think it will be a funny story one day. Even the most devastating of stories in my life have made me laugh months or years later. Tonight I told a story that I never thought I would laugh at, but genuinely laugh at now realizing how unbelievable the events in my life are sometimes. (curious which one? Remember when he moved there on Wed, broke up with me Thurs, I had to confirm it on Friday and Saturday he left and I never saw him again??? And I genuinely laugh at how crazy some of my life stories are and I am thankful that my life is never boring....thank goodness for BEST friends, they keep me sane and that helps me laugh at life--I love you girls!)

So next time you are facing a situation that just seems to horrible to be real or to ridiculous to face, just picture it in a movie and picture the best Actor/Actress you want playing you! It really works....try it! (Kerri picked Reese Witherspoon for me...nice compliment...I still think Jennifer Aniston is my top pick, but if she is unavailable I'll let Reese read for the part--hehehehe. Really in moments when you think life is never going to turn around picture that person playing this scene in your life and tell me you don't at least smile....)