Thursday, March 17, 2011

Stop Waiting. Start Living.

Seen the movie, P.S. I Love You?

A brief synopsis:
On a country road in Ireland over ten years ago, it was love at first sight for Holly, a lost young tourist (Academy Award® winner, Hilary Swank), and Gerry, a charming local lad (Gerard Butler). Holly's formidable mother, (Kathy Bates), disapproved of the couple, concerned that her spirited daughter was too young for marriage. In the years since, the once fearless Holly has become unsure of her own identity. When Gerry dies with a brain tumor and leaves Holly a widow just shy of her thirtieth birthday, her family and best friends (Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon) are concerned that she will never emerge from her takeout container-strewn Manhattan apartment. After weeks holed up watching old movies, a birthday cake and tape recording message from Gerry mysteriously arrives, marking the beginning of a series of letters instructing her to perform unusual requests. With the help of her girlfriends, Holly begins a year of wild adventures and a life journey that Gerry has planned for her, helping her to discover who she is without him and reminding her - p.s. I Love You.

P.S. I Love You is based on the best-selling novel by Cecelia Ahern.

To my husband's bafflement, I cried through most of the movie. I could relate to Holly. On some days, I am Holly. One scene in particular stands out: Holly tells her husband of 10 years that she is frustrated. They live in a tiny apartment in the city, she hates her job (has actually hated ALL of her jobs), they don't have enough money, and they don't have a baby yet.

This is the really important moment in the scene: She laments to her husband that she keeps waiting for their real life to begin, but it never does. He tells her that their real life has started; that they are in the thick of it and that she has to start living it and quit waiting.

Wow. More tears and my husband saying, "What are you crying about?"

I asked myself, Am I living my life or am I waiting for a sign that it has finally started?

Do you ever look around yourself wondering when your real life will start?

Living Fearlessly requires us to quit waiting and to get on with it. If we sit and wait for life to start, it'll all be over before we know it. We will get to the grave having spent all our time jealously watching other people live the lives we we're waiting for.

The life I want, the life you yearn for, it's right here, right now. All we have to do is live it. Today. Fearlessly.

Today's Assignment: Make something happen. When you do, you'll be living your real life.

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