I have literally written, and re-written this blog segment over and over because there is not just a message I am trying to get across but a feeling as well. I want people to read this and walk away with a question mark over their head. Not because they are confused, but because they are curious! I want to leave a sense of wonderment, and maybe even excitement. I hope I can achieve this... the fourth time around.
Today, while cleaning my apartment, I put on this movie...
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
I had forgotten how amazing the "moral" of this movie is, and that the underlying lesson would remind me of all the beautiful things that life has to offer if you just change your perspective a little bit.
I realize more and more every day that everyday life is a beating.
Be here.
Go there.
Do this.
Do that.
Make this happen,
by this time,
or else.
Why did life become so much less fun as an adult?
Or better yet, why did we stop having as much fun as we did when we were kids?
What happened to "imaginary friends", and pretending?
Why did our age suddenly affect our imagination?
Why did real life stop us from believing the things we did as kids?
Why did being an astronaut suddenly become so unreasonable?
Why did fairies and angels become something make believe?
Where did all the magic go?
I look at my son, and he has such wonderment in his eyes. He talks about life like it one big adventure and he has super-human powers that can ward off evil and save the day. He is a new character or version of that character every day, and is only limited by how far he can stretch his imagination. Santa Clause still exists and reindeer can fly, and everything is happier... brighter... and anything is possible.
How did we forget that?
...
Was it because "Life Lessons" have a way of making us forget to believe?
"Gravity says that there is no way that reindeer can fly. It is the simple law of physics."
RIGHT?? If it can't be proven then it must not exist; it must not be possible.
But I wonder, when did that become true about you?
When did you lose your magic? When did you lose you "sparkle"?
When did your life become "just life"?
So you are probably wondering how this relates to the movie.
Henry is your average, everyday, working stiff who see life as literally as a person could. When weird things start to happen in the "magical' toy store he has been hired to appraise, and things stop making sense, he searches for answers.
Why did life become so much less fun as an adult?
Or better yet, why did we stop having as much fun as we did when we were kids?
What happened to "imaginary friends", and pretending?
Why did our age suddenly affect our imagination?
Why did real life stop us from believing the things we did as kids?
Why did being an astronaut suddenly become so unreasonable?
Why did fairies and angels become something make believe?
Where did all the magic go?
I look at my son, and he has such wonderment in his eyes. He talks about life like it one big adventure and he has super-human powers that can ward off evil and save the day. He is a new character or version of that character every day, and is only limited by how far he can stretch his imagination. Santa Clause still exists and reindeer can fly, and everything is happier... brighter... and anything is possible.
How did we forget that?
...
Was it because "Life Lessons" have a way of making us forget to believe?
"Gravity says that there is no way that reindeer can fly. It is the simple law of physics."
RIGHT?? If it can't be proven then it must not exist; it must not be possible.
But I wonder, when did that become true about you?
When did you lose your magic? When did you lose you "sparkle"?
When did your life become "just life"?
So you are probably wondering how this relates to the movie.
Henry is your average, everyday, working stiff who see life as literally as a person could. When weird things start to happen in the "magical' toy store he has been hired to appraise, and things stop making sense, he searches for answers.
(To Mr. Magorium)
Henry Weston: According to your employment records, you've had several fictional characters on the books.
Mr. Magorium: Like whom?
Henry Weston: The King of Planet Yaweh
Mr. Magorium: Oh, he's not fictional
Henry Weston: Sir, there are people....
Mr. Magorium: (interrupting) He's not really the king, and the Planet Yaweh doesn't exist, but he's not fictional.
Henry Weston: Well, that's the thing, if there's no planet...
Mr. Magorium: Mr. Weston?
Henry Weston: Yes sir?
Mr. Magorium: You can't blame people for having aspirations, hmmm?
Henry is beside himself and determined to find an answer that he understands. In an attempt to do so, he turn to Mahoney, the store manager for some clarity on this history that he believes Mr. Magorium has "fabricated".
Henry Weston: Mahoney, wait, I just need a... simple explanation.
Molly Mahoney: Sure. It's a magical toy store.
Henry Weston: There's no such things as a magical toy store.
Molly Mahoney: Sure there is.
Henry Weston: When you say magical, do you mean special?
Molly Mahoney: No, I mean magical.
Henry Weston: Unique?
Molly Mahoney: Magical.
Henry Weston: What about... really really cool?
Molly Mahoney: MAGICAL.
Henry Weston: Ok, what's behind me is a toy store. It is a big one. It is a weird one but it is just... a toy store.
Molly Mahoney: I knew it. As soon as I saw that suit.
Henry Weston: Knew what?
Molly Mahoney: You're a "just" guy.
Henry Weston: What's a "just" guy?
Molly Mahoney: A guy just like you. Same hair, same suit, SAME shoes, walks around, no matter what, you think it's all just a store, it's just a bench, it's just a tree. It's just what it is, nothing more!
Henry Weston: Alright, but, but this looks over shoulder)... is just a store.
Molly Mahoney: I'm sure to you... it is.
What we learn through the same process that Henry does, is that Mr. Magorium isn't crazy, he simply just sees life a little differently... he sees people differently. As what they can be, not just what they are. And in believing in them, they have the ability to become more.
Mr. Magorium: 37 seconds.
Molly Mahoney: Great. Well done. Now we wait.
Mr. Magorium: No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, we used, is a lifetime.
Hearing the way that Mr. Magorium thinks really made me take a step back and try to see life through his eyes. No it is not a traditional way of thinking. His character is viewed as a crazy, eccentric... but he certainly enjoys life more, and sees the beauty in the world rather than being beaten down by all of the different things that life seems to throw at us.
Mr. Magorium: We must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy and bravery.
That last line sums up everything to me.
We never know what is going to happen from day to day, or even moment to moment. But we still have to wake up ready to take on the day with tenacity, and excitement. But "bravery"... that is the most important one.
Bravery; boldness; courage; FEARLESSNESS!
So what are we scared of? As an adult we are no longer scared of vampires, ghosts, or goblins, but almost every single one of us, at one time or another, is afraid of failure!
The "fear of failure" is a learned emotion. You probably don't remember learning to walk, but many of us have watched a child try to do just that. And no matter how many times they fall, they always get back up and try again. They don't think about anything else, they just try. And even if they fall, they don't let it stop them from getting right back up and doing it all over again. Because all it takes is one time for it to work.
But even if they are scared of falling, they are never scared of failing.
Falling is inevitable, but worrying whether or not we will fail will only prevent us from succeeding. You are your only problem, but you are also your only solution.
There is a balance. Somewhere between responsibility and childhood enthusiasm.
Somewhere between faith and fantasy. Somewhere between belief and cynicism.
I would never tell you to evade all of your obligations and live your life as if you were a child again. But I do have to ask you who told you to forget to dream? The only people who would do that are the ones who were too scared to chase their dreams, and don't want to see you go on to be all the things that they aren't. Don't handicap your life. Let your child, or at least your inner child, teach you how to live again, so that you don't, in turn, handicap their lives too. Learn to live as if you were learning to walk again...
You might just find yourself in a place you thought you could only dream of!!
