I’ve realized that I really like to share books and movies that I love with you. If I used this newsletter to focus solely on that, would you like it? Would you open the e-mail more or less regularly if that was what you knew you would find? Would love your feedback on this—pop me back an e-mail or leave a comment and tell me what you think of that idea.
One of my favorite film comedies is Love Actually. Or maybe it should be called a “dramedy.” It’s a little like William and Mary, the BBC series I shared recently, in that it brings together funny, happy, sad—pretty much every emotional color—OK. Well, not much “mad,” but lots of other emotional flavors. And it has a largely happy ending, (mixed with some bittersweet), so that probably sets it firmly in the “comedy” camp.
Not only is it just plain fun, it’s a storytelling triumph. (Not to mention an acting delight!) It takes 9 different plot lines, and weaves them together successfully. That’s pretty darn rare. Often when that’s the approach, I want to watch only about a quarter of the film. But this is genius. Many of the characters show up as friends, acquaintances, or even family, of the other plotline characters. So in a way, it’s like watching a community’s story.
I’ve spoken, before, of the importance of fiction, whether book or cinematic, to exercise your emotions. Stretching your “feeling” muscles is good, and a huge key if you are in the School of Love. Sometimes it can wake you up to something you’re experiencing in life that you hadn’t properly noticed. And sometimes it helps you focus on what’s delightful that’s already around you.
That’s what Love Actually does for me. The opening narration frames it perfectly. Once you hear it, it reminds you to do the same:
“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there—fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from people onboard were messages of hate or revenge—they were messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll see that love actually is, all around.”
You can watch the opening scene here on YouTube, if you’d like – just hang through the advertisement it starts with…
Coach’s Challenge: Tomorrow as you go through your day, notice the love around you, in all its shapes, sizes, flavors—in all its lovely glory!