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. 

Come Forward: August

 This has got to the most insane month I have had so far this year. Which I odd know that the months coming up are going to be a mad house! However, I have been able to get ahead of schedule with watching the movie that I needed to for this month. I have also been doing really well on my big project for this month as well. So, I am happy to say that, while everything has been crazy, it's been the least stressful month so far this year. 

This time around we are going to talk about giving in. Of course, we need to start out with the movie first, Erin Brockovich.

Erin is a single mom that really needs some money to make end meets. She is hoping the a car accident she has will land her some money in a settlement, however, that doesn't go according to plan. When she goes to her lawyer angry about the outcome, she somehow lands herself a new job working in his office. While she is working there she comes across a complaint about health concerns in a county near by siting the they think the water is basically being poisoned and causing the whole county to be sick. Severely sick. After doing a lot of research, she come back to the office and bring the concerns up to the lawyer and convinces him to take on one case against the new plant that was built nearby. However, the complaint soon turns from one person, into dozens. Now she is rallying to get everyone compensation, and encouraging her boss to do what he can to help.

Now, this movie is one that you see so many clips about on Tictok and I was happy to finally watch it. Some of it seems like it might be a little far fetched, but over all the movie is great! It's a movie that you think might be slow in some parts, but it's entertaining all the way through and nothing feel like a drag to watch. I was really happy with how smooth, and easy the story telling was. 

You might think when I am saying to give in, that it might be about Erin here. However, it's not. The lawyer that she works for is on the verge of retiring, and he is at the end of his rope. He doesn't want to help. He just wants to finish out his last few years and retire. He finally gives in when Erin pushes enough. 

I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to work on my big project at all. However, one day I woke up and the desire was there, and I had the time but not a lot I didn't want to work on it because I didn't have the time that I thought I would need. Instead I gave in and worked on it. I worked on it some here and there and I got through to my next deadline. I was also happy that I did it a different pace than what I was normally doing it at. 

 

No Place Like Movies At Home: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

We get to talk about a movie that I have come to love over the years Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

While most people would like to say that this movie is about a car, this movie is really about a family. The children are being raised by their father and grandfather, their mother had passed some time before. The father is an inventor who has his hand in everything. The kids are at a junk yard playing in a car, Chitty, when it gets sold. They plan to ask their dad for the money for the car in order to keep it. As they are on their way home they run into Truly. She finds that where they live is not all put together, not too much money coming in, but see that the kids are well taken care of and loved. When the kids as their dad for the money for the car he does everything that he can in order to make it happen. He buys the car and fixes it up. They, along with Truly, go on a beach picnic and have a wonderful afternoon, where stories are told of the legendary Chitty Chitty Bang Bang saving a fairytale world from a bad king

This is one of those movies that I did not grow up with. I feel like there are lots of people who haven't seen many musical but this is one that was seen many times over the years. I didn't rally watch this one until my mid-teens. I really do love watching this movie every time it comes one. I always love home much fun the movie is, and how sweet the characters are. I am constantly impressed by the Music Box doll number is. 

Come Forward: July

We finally get a a movie that I have been yelled at many times before because I have never seen it. 

Good Will Hunting

A troubled young man is gifted when it comes to math. Really he is gifted in learning in general. He can take any book or work of art and memorize everything he reads with east. He uses this to his advantage when he is on college campuses partying. He can talk about any subject with anyone. However, it's his troubled life that has him ended up as a janitor at a college. When the head of the math department at this school posts an equation he expects that no one in the class is going to be able to solve it. When if finds that it's solved he starts asking which one the students did it. No one claims to be the one who solved it. A few days, and another equation, later, it's discovered the the troubled young man is the one who solved the equation. 

This bring crazy change in his life. They professor wants to mold him and have everyone be marveled at his "discovery". However, the young man's temper is causing problems. The professor gets an old school friend of his, who is a therapist, to come and work with him. The young man wants nothing to do with the therapist, and tries to make it so he doesn't have to talk, change, and still do with the work with the professor.  However, the plans we make are not always the ones that work out in the end. 

Now this movie was so good! I have found that sometimes there are a lot of movies that people highly recommend I find aren't that good. This one was great! I really loved the story, and it made me cry! It was so good.

The one thing that this connect with me about working on something bigger is that you just have to rant. There were a few times where Robin Williams' character, and Matt Damon's, both just ranted at stuff that happened to them in life. The sometimes it was fair and most times it was not. I love that they both allowed each other the space to be able to speak their mind about each other and themselves. 

Working on this project I have done a lot of ranting to my friend Nikki. Sometimes I can't get something to work how I want it, and other times I am trying to get motivated to do something with it. It's always a balancing act. I know the effort will be well worth it in the end.  

The Man Behind The Curtain: July

 Let's talk about talking to God. 

Pray is something that is so important, and so vital to me and my faith. I thin everyone says at least one prayer once in their life. Whether there is any real faith behind it is up to God himself. 

I don't want to get more into it until we talk about this month's movie Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

 When Margret get's home from summer camp she learns that her family are movie from New York to New Jersey. This all happens right when she is becoming a teenager. The new chapter in her life is met with her being able to stay home, meeting a whole bunch of new girls, then dealing with new feelings, and the speech about her ever changing body. 

She starts praying to God asking her for things to move faster and for her to be able to fit in. However, this uncovers new questions on her beliefs. Her dad's side is Jewish, and her moms side is Christian. However, neither of her parents are practicing in their faith, and she finds it's these differences that led to her mother's parents to disown here. Her dad's mom is a practicing Jew that is very eager to take her to temple when she asks. She also goes to different places of worship with friends and leads to down this path of figuring out what she believes. 

So, I will say that this movie was pretty good. I also know that this movie is based off of a book. I have not read the book and I think that is what I am missing here. I can't help but think that there was some explanation of  some stuff that didn't come to the screen. Outside of that, the movie was sweet and wonderful, and surprisingly funny. 

Margaret spends a lot of time in the movie asking for God for mostly selfish and superficial things (don't we all). However, it really made me think about how important prayer is in my life. I will say that there are so many thing that I pray for in passing that I usually forget the prayer. However, when I am in a pray time everyday and talking with God it opens up so much more for me and my life than when I am just praying for something as a "quick fix". 

I think it's vital, and I know it's something that I can do more of.