The List: Numbers 45 and 93

 It's been, what at year? 

About a year ago since I took a whole lot of things off of my buckets list for an impromptu trip to Disney World last year. Now, I have another big thing to cross off. 

Last week I crossed off Number 45 off of my bucket list: Go on a Cruise!

One of my besties, Nikki, and I went on a 5 night cruise with her mom and grandma to the Bahamas! No only was this my first cruise, but it was my first time out of the country. I don't think that I could have picked a better time to go. 

Here in Tennessee it does get cold, but it's doesn't get super cold till around the start of the new year. We left and it was still in the 80s here. We left out of one of my favorite cites, Charleston, SC. It was great because Carnival Cruise will no longer be going out of there I think after the start of the new year. So, I am glad that I got to come out of here once. The first day was rough because of the waves but we had a good time. We did lots of activities on the ship and we got to chill and hang out too. 

We went to Bimini, and Nassau in the Bahamas. Bimini has got to be the prettiest beach that I have been to yet! The water was so clear, the sands was white and cool to walk in, and it was not a crazy hot day. It was the perfect beach day to say the least. Nassau we went to Swim and feed the pigs on the beach. It was fun just doing something that I never even thought of doing before. I loved it so much. I would totally go one one again! 

Number 93 was take a nap on a boat. Trust me there was a lot of napping time happening on the ocean during the week!

Tom Hanks Hustle: Here

 It's been a minute! 

Tom Hanks had he first movie release in a year, and I am "here" for it!

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite once again for another movie about life, love, and how lives moves in some spaces. 

I am always excited about a new Tom Hanks movie, but I will say I was more excited when I learn about how this movie was shot. I now of two movies that are show in one continuous motion, Birdman and Rope. I have never heard of a movie that is shot from one stationary camera angle. It never moves from the spot that it starts. 

When I first heard of this movie and started telling people about it I was saying that it's about a family and how their lives grow though the lens of one camera, and how live works around it. However, I found out quickly it's not about one family. It about how life revolves around one spot, one view, in one place, of this whole big world. It shows how the world has moved thought history of this one spot since the dawn of time. Now, before you think that it's done chronologically, it's not. They edit this movie so that all of the stories that are seen in this spot relate to each other. It's a nice way to show that we have all loved, lost, and move on in a number of different ways in the whole history of the world. Times, change, but there are always big landmarks in our lives that we all share. 

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this story or not, but it surprised me. I loved seeing how the world unfolded around this spot, and how full, crazy, sad, and wonderful everyone's lives are. Things change and things stay the same. No life can't all be lived in the same spot, but so much life happens in spots you don't seem to like of, like your living room. 

I would totally see this movie again, and recommend it to anyone who would like to see a new way of shooting a movie as well. 

Come Forward: October

So, for that last few years of doing these projects, I have made a list of movies that fit the them, and then use a random number generator to pic the next movie on the list. I was doing that up until I got to this month. 

I mean, how do you have a movie called October Sky and not watch the movie when it's also October? 

Homer Hickman is a young man from Coalwood, West Virginia. When Russia lunches the very first satellite in space, it inspires Homer to learn more about engineering. He tries to make a rocket on his own and finds out that he did everything wrong, when he blows up the back fence on accident. He soon learns that he is going to need help to learn more about what he is doing. He does what is consider social suicide and starts hanging out with the "geek" at school. Soon, Homer and his friends have a launching pad just outside of the city to test their rockets. He starts to enlist other people in town for help (even though they are supposed to) and soo they start to really understand rockets and how they work. Everyone in town is having a great time watching them except for Homer's dad. Homer's dad, and most of the rest of the town, know that once you are born in this town it's hard to get out. Maybe one kids every few years gets own on a football scholarship. The rest will live, word and die in the coal town. However, we see that while he dad doesn't want him to get his hopes up about this being a living for him, he dos help out in small ways here and there, but has never seen him actually launch a rocket. However, once he does he tries to support him. 

So, other than "hard work will help push you through" how does this relate to staying motivated? Well, Work on the hardest thing first. 

Look, I now hat it was a mistake for Homer to make a rocket and set it off in his back yard. However, at the time he thought that was going to be the hardest thing was to find that right about of gun powder to load and then he would have a rocket. He did it and it failed. They he did a little bit of research and tried again. Then when that didn't work, talking to the "geek" at school was the next hardest thing. In truth sometimes what we think might be the hardest thing is really just a an very overwhelming small step. It's doing the thing that's embarrassing, or insane, that really something we have built up in our heads that it's going to be. 

Sometimes the hardest thing to do its start, sometimes it walking away or taking a break, sometimes it's letting go. However, something doing the hardest thing first is the best next step to take.  

The Man Behind The Curtian: October

 This month we got a little bit old school with the movie that I chose. It's movie that I somehow missed when it first came out (and might be glad that I did). 

The movie stars Zac Efron, and the late, great Matthew Perry, 17 Again.

Mike had to grow up a little too fast when he was young. He was on his way to a basketball scholarship, graduation, and had the rest of his life ahead of him. Until he finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant and she give it all up at 17 to be a dad, husband, and had a different life than what he had planned. Now, in his late 30s, he is on his way to a divorce, his kids are not close to him, and he isn't very happy. That all changes when he is transformed back to the age of 17, and gets a chance to "redo his life". However, when he try to redo his life, he learns a lot about his wife, his kids, and himself that ultimately give his a chance to start over where he is now rather than when he thought he lost it all. 

This was not the best movie I have seen. Some of it didn't make sense, and really wasn't that great. It had a lot of great stars, but just missed the mark a little bit. 

However, I said last month that showing up was part of a bigger umbrella of a different topic that I wanted to talk about. That bigger topic is honoring your commitments.

Showing up is one way to honor your commitments, but there are lots of other ways to honor commitments. 

One of the things that Mike has a problem with in his adult life is that he start projects and doesn't finish them. He become complacent, and just blames everything on what he missed out on rather than make the best of where he is at right now. 

Honoring your commitments is one of the hardest things to do. It's hard because it's constantly pulling you to do things that might have sounded great in the moment, but you don't feel like doing it. Promising something, and just not doing anything to making it happen. It's doing the things that you say you are going to do weather or not anyone else is paying attention to the fact that you are doing them. 

When I was 17-18 years old, my Youth Pastor gave a sermon that included Horning your commitments, and its was something that I really wanted to be known for. I wanted to the someone who was reliable, and trustworthy, and was always going to be there when I said I was going to be there. I wanted to be someone who as known more for being selfless, and helpful. The older I get the more I see where other people do not do or honor what they comes out of their mouths. There are people in my life that I love dearly, but when they say that they are going to be where they said they would be, they don't come. They bail, or say they forgot. They will do and say anything so that they don't look like the bad guy for now showing up, or doing what they said that they were going to do. 

I have also found that being someone that honors their commitments that when things go wrong, or an emergency happens (because life) that things might be frustrating, but people know that I am telling the truth when I fail to make it where I said I was going to be. I have enough of good record from several people that they know if something happens I am truthful as to why I can't be there. 

I will say that this may not sound like it's ground shaking knowledge to have, but it really does change your life, and your perspective when you become someone who Honors Their Commitments. 

Come Forward: September

 So, getting closer and closer to the end here. It's getting a little harder to try and stay motivated when the end of the year, with all of it holidays, coming up.

However, let's talk about The Boys In The Boat.

This story follows the crazy journey of the Junior University of Washington Rowing team going to the 1936 Olympics. 

Now I know that it's a very short description, but it's a great move that you should go and see for yourself. 

So, the how does a rowing team have to teach me about motivation? Well, they learned a lot by working as a team, but they didn't learn that in one step. They learn it in smaller ways step that formed a whole unit. 

The Ten minute rule is good for this. This get overwhelming when you think of all the things you have to do, or want to accomplish. We can freeze and get nothing done because we can't fine a way to get everything done at once. 

Making yourself do one thing for ten minutes helps to get you started doing something, and then can help you go get a plan together to get all of the stuff you want to get done, done. 

The Man Behind The Curtain: September

 It's finally cooling off, well a little bit. It doesn't get super cold around here until like January. However, I am glad that we are going to start seeing the change that falls brings to us. It's been a long summer, but a short one too. 

Let's talk about one of the best movies that Disney has ever released, Encanto.

This movie is about Mirabel and her family. The members of the family have been granted a miracle over 50 years ago. It gave their family powers of all different abilities. They use these powers to help out the village. They are all working to keep the village safe and strong. However, the only grandchild that did not receive a gift was Mirabel. While she holds up a strong spirit to help out without her powers, she can't help but feel as if she is looked down on from her grandmother because the Miracle did not grant her a power. No matter how hard she tries to be helping and "special" she always seems to fall short. This difference has cause a small rift in the family. All of that changes when the Miracle starts to go out and she decides that she is going to safe it.

Now, this movie has been analyzed so many times over. From talking about generational trauma to inner strength, this movie gives you great music, a fun time, while also giving you classic, heart punching, message that Disney is known for. 

I am not going to get into all of that. 

I love this movie, and yes it touches on all of these things, we are going to let someone else analyze all of that. The one thing that I want to talk about is showing up.

Now, I will say that this topis will come back up again next month, but under an umbrella of that topic. However, I really wanted to highlight showing up. One thing the Mirabel is great at is showing up for her family. She will show up sometimes when her family doesn't want her around. Anything anyone asks her to do she will doe it. Even it it is hugging her older sister. 

The best example of her showing up is when she is at her little cousin's Gift ceremony. Antonio and Mirabel have shared the nursery since he was little. he will be getting his knew room during his ceremony. He is several years younger than she it, but has seen what her life it like without a gift, and is worried that the same thing will happen to him. Mirabel reassures him that he will get a gift, and everything is going to be ok. 

When he gets too nervous to walk to his door, he asks Mirabel to hold his hand and they walk together. Even thought doing this, reminds her of her ceremony where her whole life changed. She was afraid to walk down that same path again, but did it because her cousin needed her. He got courage from her being there, when she could have bailed and spared people talking about how she didn't get to get a gift. 

When you show up for people, it leave an impact. The people that show up in the good time and fun times are great, but the ones the show up when things get hard are better.

As much as I want to say that I have a perfect record of showing up, I don't. I have messed up, and failed at times, but I know that I have showed up when least expected and it's effected someone's day. I know the people that I can call in an emergency and they would do everything in their power to help. The people who show up in times of worry and trouble are rare.

Also, showing up even when you don't feel like showing up is powerful. There have been many times that I didn't feel like going somewhere, or doing something, but have seen how excited people are when I show up. 

Showing up is one of the most important small things you can do for someone. They might see it while you are there but when they look back they know who they can trust to help.

The Man Behind the Curtain: August

   So, I'm just gonna say this real quick. 

I HATED the movie that I watched for this month. Which was The Breakfast Club.

Long story short. Five kids are in for detention on a Saturday for various, and really not explained well, reasons. They get to know each other and that's it.... 

Oh and there is a moment where they dance. 

Look I know that I am not not of this era, and that lots it things seemed to be lost on me. However, I did not like this movie. While it wasn't slow, and was poorly explained as to why some of them were in detention at all. Those that did have reasons for being there, seemed like the teachers should have gotten them help instead of putting them in detention. They were left in a room together without supervision, and expected not to talked and break rules? It's like adults have never met teenagers before. 

Anyways, the one thing that I can say about this movie is that I like that the kids that were in detentions had like different cliques and friends groups. I like that there were able to find some common ground, weather is was music or other activities.

The one reflection that I wanted to reflect on is a recent love I rekindled, WWE.

Look I know that it doesn't make much sense that a girl who wears vintage clothing, watches old movie, loves Broadway, musicals, and everything Tennessee Theatre, also love WWE. I do. I used to watch it when I was a teenager, and then I had to stop, but I recently got back into it. I have had a few people tell me that they don't understand why, and I really don't either. 

I think that it's a way to live through drama, and the every once and a while feeling to punch someone in the face, without actually going through those things in real life. 

If movies is a fire in my soul, WWE is like lightning in my veins. I don't need it, but when I watch it it shocks me and riles me up. I think it's just really fun.

Plus, I love the double takes people give me when I tell them this fun fact about me.