I just returned from a girls night at the movies to see the new Julia Roberts flick, Eat, Pray, Love. Simply put, I loved it. I read the book quite a while ago and I sincerely enjoyed that, so I figured I would love the movie as well. It helps that I am a big Julia fan too. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm insanely jealous and will sometimes make fun of her out of my own insecurities, but at the end of the day I know that I would happily curl up and watch most of her films and walk away feeling happy.
Back to the movie. For those of you that have not seen it (or read the book) it's a pretty simple concept. It's based on a true story where the woman had a big event that changed her life, went to live in Italy (Eat), India (Pray) and Bali (Love) for three months each and on her way "found herself." Good for her. No really, I'm very happy for her. However, it made me wonder if my life was a movie how would it play out? Who would play me? Who would play my friends? Which talented cat actress would play my sweet kitten Cleo?? All important things right? ;-)
Mainly I wondered, what about my life would people find entertaining. This is actually something friends and I have discussed quite often. It usually starts out some night when we are all sitting around, drinking some wine and someone tells a story where they did something silly, stupid, fell down, etc. and it becomes a "I can top that" competition... I have never lost any of these competitions. I always have the story that is the silliest, dumbest, stumbliest (that's not a word, I know, but you understand), etc.
A movie based on my life would not have some soul searching moment where everyone watching starts to think, hmmm... I really should stop and smell the roses. Nope... my movie would play out more like a Drew Barrymore film. There would be lots of goofiness and lots of entertainment and you would leave feeling much better about yourself, because let's face it, I'm not Julia. You wouldn't leave thinking, man, that girl has everything just right, her life has fallen into place. Nope you would leave thinking, thank goodness for a realistic character that is identifiable, laughable, but not so laughable that it's one big joke.
You know what though? I wouldn't have it any other way. Such is the ride that is life. I can't model my life after a movie and I would much prefer to break or create the mold than to simply bend myself to fit into a pre-made situation.
Quite often I contemplate writing a book about the silly things in my life. I think the world could use a book where the writer didn't take themselves so seriously. Like my movie (which of course would come after my book) it wouldn't be some huge thing that makes you think you are inadequate or that your life is missing something because you haven't spent time in an Ashram in India learning to meditate and pet elephants. On the contrary, it would make you think, yep, my life is my life. Plain and simple. With all the imperfections and all the bumps in the road. My book wouldn't be this ultimate find the meaning of life thing, and it wouldn't end with the heroine running away with her prince. Nope... that's not my life... at least not yet. I mean, I have to leave something for the sequel. ;-)
Back to the movie. For those of you that have not seen it (or read the book) it's a pretty simple concept. It's based on a true story where the woman had a big event that changed her life, went to live in Italy (Eat), India (Pray) and Bali (Love) for three months each and on her way "found herself." Good for her. No really, I'm very happy for her. However, it made me wonder if my life was a movie how would it play out? Who would play me? Who would play my friends? Which talented cat actress would play my sweet kitten Cleo?? All important things right? ;-)
Mainly I wondered, what about my life would people find entertaining. This is actually something friends and I have discussed quite often. It usually starts out some night when we are all sitting around, drinking some wine and someone tells a story where they did something silly, stupid, fell down, etc. and it becomes a "I can top that" competition... I have never lost any of these competitions. I always have the story that is the silliest, dumbest, stumbliest (that's not a word, I know, but you understand), etc.
A movie based on my life would not have some soul searching moment where everyone watching starts to think, hmmm... I really should stop and smell the roses. Nope... my movie would play out more like a Drew Barrymore film. There would be lots of goofiness and lots of entertainment and you would leave feeling much better about yourself, because let's face it, I'm not Julia. You wouldn't leave thinking, man, that girl has everything just right, her life has fallen into place. Nope you would leave thinking, thank goodness for a realistic character that is identifiable, laughable, but not so laughable that it's one big joke.
You know what though? I wouldn't have it any other way. Such is the ride that is life. I can't model my life after a movie and I would much prefer to break or create the mold than to simply bend myself to fit into a pre-made situation.
Quite often I contemplate writing a book about the silly things in my life. I think the world could use a book where the writer didn't take themselves so seriously. Like my movie (which of course would come after my book) it wouldn't be some huge thing that makes you think you are inadequate or that your life is missing something because you haven't spent time in an Ashram in India learning to meditate and pet elephants. On the contrary, it would make you think, yep, my life is my life. Plain and simple. With all the imperfections and all the bumps in the road. My book wouldn't be this ultimate find the meaning of life thing, and it wouldn't end with the heroine running away with her prince. Nope... that's not my life... at least not yet. I mean, I have to leave something for the sequel. ;-)
