So, it has been a while since I have taken the time to contribute to this blog.  I do not really know if it was a lack of time, energy or effort.  Maybe it was that I had not been touched in such a way that called out to me to write.  So, to move on with what I have to say, I will tell you how my evening began.  It was absolutely nothing special, as I worked on some basic “work” stuff.  Had a great meal of Chicken Pad Thai, and settled in with some great text conversations.  Nothing really out of the ordinary.  At a certain point I realized that I had an early meeting and so I needed to iron my clothes and get to bed early.  My typical ritual is to find something on Netflix that would put me to sleep.   I thought I had the solution when I saw a movie I had never heard of, but that had a strange draw to it.  It also starred Joshua Jackson and I had grown to really like him from Fringe, so I said “Why not?”  So, you want to know about the movie.

One Week starts off with a man that has been told, that he has stage 4 cancer.  Sounds cheery, huh?  His response is to take a trip, a sort of end of life adventure.  In all reality, I believe he had been begging for an opportunity to have an adventure, but was too caught up in life.  Set in Canada, he hops on his newly purchased 1973 Norton motorcycle, and heads west.  For the most part you see a glimpse of tourist attractions along the way, it is a little like an extended scene from Elizabethtown (complete with dancing in the middle of the field waving his hands in the air).  What is unique about this, is at the story goes along, you get a glimpse, through a narrator, of what is going on in the mind of a guy that only has a short time to live.  Along the way he meets a few characters and is touched and touches their lives.  He finally makes it to the Ocean and then returns home.  But don’t worry, the value is in the journey.

What strikes me about this story is that it focuses on the question, “What would you do if you had one week to live?”  Which makes me think about what truly is important.  If you would do it if you had one week to live, why not do it now.  We are so locked into the daily hustle of life that we forget to have an adventure.  Why would I continue to live life knowing that I am not doing what I would do if I had one week to live.   I am not saying we all need to quit our jobs, and jump on a motorcycle and head to the beach, that would be fun though.  What I am saying is that if you had a week to live would you not make the most of every moment?  Would you still care what petty things people have to say about you?  Would you still focus on the negatives of life?  I wouldn’t.  I would make my life an adventure.  I would wake up eager to get out into the world and meet new people.  I would spend my time touching other people’s lives.  One of the most meaningful concepts of this movie is a line written on a chalk board at the end of the movie, because he had quoted it earlier on, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”  This is Life!   Stop wallowing in life and experience.

By the way, I didn’t get to sleep early.  But that’s OK.

So on a cold winter night I sat down to watch this unlikely movie, starring Alyssa Milano, who by the way still has it.  The story revolves around a waitress, a writer, a chance encounter and a love triangle.  Pretty deep so far, huh.  I watched this movie and felt for each of the characters involved.  You have a writer that is on the verge of giving up his dream of publishing.  An ad executive who seems to have everything together.  Right in the middle you have a girl, who is holding on to two different worlds.  I think of the people in the movie, I really associate with the writer.  Somewhat of a nerd, but has his feet all in to a dream of success, but also has such a  gentle spirit.  I also can associate with his beat up broken down car, but that is another story.  It seems as though our writer friend is an under dog in this story, but it seems to sway back the other way.  I do not want to give away too much, because this movie really is a must watch.  Throughout the movie you will also have fits of rage as you want to smack Jesse (Alyssa Milano) for playing with the hearts of these two guys.  At the same time you see the turmoil in her eyes and you really do start to understand her fears and struggle.  In the end it really touches you as to see the true reason behind her wall that she has built around her heart.  I believe this movie is an encouragement to let down those walls, to open your heart and realize that life is just life.  We must live every moment by the moment, without forgetting the wonder of the future, and the lessons of the past.  In the end we can look back and say, whew I survived.  So, as you are trapped in the snow, pull up Netflix and look for this movie, laugh, cry, get mad and smile as you will do all of these in the course of this movie.  By the way, you do have a great sub story involving an ordinary guy without much personality becoming a chewing gum Icon, for a lifetime supply of gum.  That is pretty funny too.  Enjoy the movie!

Let me start off by giving you a short synopsis of this movie, and then we will move into my thoughts.  The movie starts off as a conversation between a dad and a groom to be talking about nervous jitters on the wedding day.  Ryan Reynolds, playing the dad, tells the young man of a day that changed his life.  Reynolds plays a very time captivated person, totally controlled by his lists.  The start of one particular day goes just 10 minutes off of his “schedule”  potentially ruining his life.   Through a series of events his wife kicks him out, finds out that his daughter was not biologically his, and that his best friend is the daughters father.  That is not your typical bad day.

I think this movie really asks a question.  What if my life fell apart?  Would I give up, would I fight, or would I rethink everything?  As the movie starts, you see a bold, self assured man.  But then it takes you back to a time when he was shy and self conscious.  As the movie unfolds you see different sides and levels of growth in Reynolds character.  In the midst of turmoil we are faced with a challenge or quest.  Will this thing that I am facing today be the end of me?  Or, will this just be a bump in the road that teaches me to slow down and enjoy life?  Perspective is something we all need, and this movie gives you the ammo to think about it.  In the end, we can look back at the moments in our life and see that one by one they can be stacked up on top of each other, as if you are building something.  The question is, are you building a wall, or a home?  Are you building something to bring people into, or are you building something to keep people out.

If you have not had the opportunity to watch this thought provoking movie, please take a little time out and watch it.  Oh, and I promise you, it has a great ending.

I decided that it would just not be me, if I didn’t express my love for movies.  Ashamedly, movies have taken a large chunk of my life, but I believe I can gain from this.  A good movie is something that hits you in the soul.  Maybe it made you cry like a little baby when the hero just was not able to win the battle.  Suppose, it is a movie that brightens your day with laughter, laughter is the best medicine after all.  I always love a good love story, I know, take my man card all you want, but a love story can give you hope.  Then there are the ones that make you stand to your feet and cheer, such as at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when Aragon gives his monologue.  ”There may be a day when the hearts of men may fail, But not this day…” As I wrote that I almost leaped out of my chair to battle a troll.

But here is the point.  A movie, however grand or simple can move you to be better than you are.  When you are faced with a good story, it gives you something to think about.  What if Russians and Cubans invaded my town?  Would I hide in the mountains and then come out to avenge my family?  How about if I met the Love of my life, and I am talking True Love, would I woo her with a simple phrase “as you wish” until she too felt the love?  These are the questions that baffle us, that reach into our souls and say are you strong enough to be great.

So in saying this, I wish to share my love of a good story with you in true “blogger” style.  Hopefully, if I am lucky, I will be able to impart into you the courage and passion to take on the world.