And In The End

Well...

Hah - got the font before it got me.

So I finally watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Films like this are usually ones I stay away from. As I am a fairly serious person by nature, in that I worry and stress, etc., I like to laugh instead of think more. If I'm going to commit 1 1/2 hours of my life to a screen of some sort, I don't want it to be wasted. In this case, it was almost 3 hours. The last movie I watched that was this long was "The Last Temptation of Christ". The only reason I saw that was you got to see Jesus' butt. Plus I was 17 and didn't know any better. Having been completely disrespectful with that comment, I did enjoy the movie and still find the message quite moving.

Back to Benjamin and his buttons. It was actually very good. Surprisingly so for me. However, it did make me think which is something I try to avoid in my off time. It made me wonder about what we value in life. It made me realize that we go out of this world exactly as we come into it. At least if all goes according to plan. Short of a car crash or some type of disease taking us out prematurely, we hope to die in our beds peacefully. At least I hope to. What I got out this movie is that life is about experiences regardless of our age. It is about loving completely and taking some chances on that love. It is about being true to ourselves and recognizing that we make our life as exciting or as boring as we decide. Life is not about stuff and status. It is not about not living the life we think we should. It is about living the best we can the way we need to.

I often shy away from experiences that require use of talent. I often question people's sanity if they admire something I've made or a creative suggestion I come up with. Why is my idea so great ? If I thought of it then someone else would have come up with it surely ? That is not the type of life I want to lead. I want to live a life that is full of creativity and pride. While Jane Austen may have eschewed the sin of pride, I think it's one we should learn to embrace. I have a right to be proud of my cakes. I have a right to be proud of my gardens. I have a right to be proud that I can write creatively. These are not common skills. These are not things that all people can do or do them well. I have a right to own those talents and live my life being proud of that.

Life is too short to let talent go to waste. Whether you come into this life a wrinkly 90 year old baby or end this life as a shining new born, it's what you do in the middle that matters. Live your life being proud of who you are and what you can do. Be proud of the fact that you can love and be loved. Show the world that you are meant to be here and have a place to stand tall. And in the end, know that you have lived your life as you could. Proudly.