Ch-ch-ch-changin'...

On nights when my husband is working and I have some projects to get done, I usually like to put in an old movie- the kind I've seen so many times that I can zone in and out and not lose out on any of the storyline. Tonight as I was flipping through our DVDs, I stopped on Fried Green Tomatoes. I had thought about it earlier in the day, I can't remember why, but I decided it was a perfect choice. Before it started playing, I thought of how, out of all of my favorite movies, I think I would have to say that this one is my absolute favorite. I believe it to be the finest piece of storytelling I have ever encountered.

I caught part of another old favorite, Beaches, the other day on tv and I started to think of the similarities between the two and what makes them stand apart from the rest. The answer popped up in my mind immediately- character development. The problem with most other movies is that they mirror tv sitcoms. Much like cartoon characters wearing the same clothes every day, most characters on tv inhabit one particular stereotype that they remain trapped in from episode one all the way through to the series finale. The beautiful thing about these two particular movies is that they mirror life in their depiction of the shifts and changes of each character. That makes for honest storytelling.

When I was younger, I was afraid of change. I guess it makes sense. You spend most of your young life, at least I did, in one spot, basically wearing the same clothes. Then you get thrust into college where you're forced to decide yourself what you will eat for dinner and then, pretty much as soon as you're used to that, you're pushed out into the "real world" where you're forced to sign things that make decisions that affect you daily.

It took me until age 30 to come to befriend change and realize that she's not only a cool person to hang with every once in a while, but that she is a constant companion who helps me grow. The idea of a vast open future used to scare me. Now it excites me. Tonight I had dinner with friends I didn't even know existed 2 years ago in a place I didn't even know was around until 5 years ago. Who knows where I will live and who I will call my friends in another year. Who knows what I will believe, what I will have accomplished, and what will inspire me in five years. I love that when I look back on myself five years ago, even two years ago, I see someone completely unrecognizable. That blurred face was my pathway to the rad person that I am today. Had I not been so judgmental, I wouldn't appreciate the freedom that letting all that go brings. Had I not been so afraid, I wouldn't know the calm that faith carries. Had I not been so blinded by the physical world, I wouldn't be so grateful for my newly acquired ability to rise above it.

So, it turns out that my favorite part of my life story is character development as well. To pull from my last post, change may be uncomfortable, but it is so exciting!


Who knew that five years ago today a set of drums would change my life so drastically? Just like Meg Ryan says in, Sleepless in Seattle, "You make millions of decisions that mean nothing and then one day you order takeout and it changes your life". Only in my case I decided to learn how to play drums. :)