Till Then Smile Often

There are parts of me that I don’t share online, but those who know me in real life might know that I am an old soul and I can be very sensitive. I tend to be a little too empathetic at times, it shows every time a Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercial comes on.  Water works!

I cry during the Voice auditions when they tell their story and a chair turns letting them live their dream, and I cry every time the National Anthem is played knowing that my Dad fought for those freedoms.

There are many books I have read that have touched me deeply. Just to name a few: On The Road and Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, All The Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin,  The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel, and Before I Go by Colleen Oakley.  They all touched me for different reasons but they touched me, made me feel, broke me down.

Jack Kerouac – Naval Reserve Enlistment Photo

There are movies that have done the same. A few examples: In God’s Hands, Without Limits, Powder, and The Family Stone. C’Mon did you really think I would leave out the Family Stone?!

Some made me want to find my truth, some made me believe I could do anything I wanted to do with a little perseverance and what it looks like to be on the outside looking in.

I recently saw the movie The Good Lie starring Reese Witherspoon, about Sudan refugees who get asylum and move to America, their journey and how they change each other was touching. What they went through at such a young age, and the ignorance to things we take for granted like pizza and running water made my emotions jump all over the place.

There is a point where one of the refugees is in class and they discuss Huckleberry Finn and the Good Lie, the title of the film. I am paraphrasing here but he says:

“Huck changes, he tells the slave hunters he has no slaves, so his lie is a credible lie, but it is an unselfish lie because it saves Jim. Jim’s freedom means more than the money he would get for turning him in, so it is a good lie.”

The selflessness shown in that decision and throughout the movie was what I always hope to be. I know I struggle at times being selfish just like everyone but I hope when it matters that I can be selfless.

So to lighten up this post I am going to give you 3 truths and 1 lie, see if you can spot the lie.

1. My front tooth was chipped and is now a fake.
2.  I once went to the hospital after falling running up the down escalator in Washington D.C.
3.  I won a little over $2,500 playing Blackjack at Foxwoods casino on my 21st birthday.
4.  I was kicked out of Kindergarten for kicking the Principal in the crotch.

What is a lie you have told? 

Do you have a favorite movie or book that just made you feel all the feels?