Cloudy with a Good Chance of Succeeding

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Though sometimes it's more like try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again, this age-old saying makes loads of sense. If you don't believe me, ask "Flint Lockwood" from "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". He'll tell you the exact same thing. "Flint" is a young inventor, who has really incredible ideas, but they never seem to work out. They keep backfiring on him, but no matter how many people ridicule him or express their extreme lack of support, Flint just keeps on pluggin' away. He knows in his heart that one day, he will come up with an invention that will change the world (or at least his little seaside town). Spray-on shoes proved to be too permanent to run with the changing styles and activities. So what! Ratbirds were even creepier than the real rats with wings, otherwise known as pigeons. Big deal! The hair unbalder wasn't exactly a growing trend. Poppycosh! It's all those experiences that led to Flint inventing a wacky weather system that drops all kinds of delicious food from the sky, hence ending the hunger problem. Now, that's an invention that will improve EVERYONE'S life. So, no matter what you want to invent, achieve, solve or discover... it's not just about the goal. It's not just about the one thing at the end. You have to fail a little to reach greatness... and once you do, you'll appreciate it so much more. Just be sure to take time to remember everything you went through to get there. It's all important... every step. Without the trip to the market, the pot, the water, the pasta, the sauce, the meat, the seasonings, the stove and the dinner conversation, your life may remain Overcast with No Chance of Meatballs.

FAME-ously Lame Parenting

We all know the words, don't we? "Fame! I'm gonna live forever. I'm gonna learn how to fly... high!" Question though... how can kids learn to fly high if their parents hold them back from their passion? Case in point - in the remake of "Fame", "Denise Dupree" played by Naturi Naughton has been training to be a classical pianist since she was a child; however, her true passion is singing. Her dad (and mom - simply because she doesn't want to defy her husband) is dead set on her being a classical pianist when she "grows up" regardless of what SHE wants to do. In the end, after seeing her sing on stage, they tell their daughter "We'll support you, no matter what". Why can't it always be that way? We hear so often "my daughter's going to be a surgeon" or "my son's going to be an lawyer". If the kids want to be a surgeon or a lawyer, then that's another story, but why can't parents ever ask their children what they want to do with their life, instead of telling them what to do? A parent/child relationship is supposed to consist of unconditional love, so whether a person wants to be a painter, an actor, a circus clown or the president of the United States, shouldn't parents do their best to support their child and help them succeed? Shouldn't parents honor their children's goals, interests and talents, even if they're completely different from their world of commercial real estate or accounting? If they did, perhaps more kids... more people would be less stressed and feel more satisfied with their lives. "Baby, look at me... and tell me what you see. You ain't seen the best of me yet. Give me time, I'll make you forget the rest." Perhaps parents should really listen to the opening lyrics of the "Fame" song, open their eyes and notice what their children truly have to offer the world. Maybe "Fame" is not so lame after all.

Happiness Happens

It's been too long since I've blogged and let me tell you something... I've seen plenty of movies since my last entry. Perhaps, I'll play catch-up... now that the sunny side of summer is turning into the fabulous feeling of fall. Now, THAT'S a coming attraction! Until then, I will write about something I grabbed from "Love Happens" starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart. (Though this blog is not about critiquing films, I will say that what's to come is the only thing I took away from the film, except for maybe what remained of my medium Coke). In the movie, Aaron's character tells the group attending his Tony Robbins-esque seminar that "Happiness is a state of mind". It really is, isn't it? Let's face it. Life is not always fun or easy or as we planned... and the great pitcher of life continues to throw us curveballs... but that's what life is all about. Dealing with whatever comes our way, learning, growing, not making the same mistakes twice, becoming stronger, taking the worst of the worst and turning it into something positive - it can be next to impossible sometimes, but it's part of what makes life so interesting. If you are having the most wretched day of your life, month of your life, year of your life, sulking won't solve your problems. It'll only make you feel worse. You need to acknowledge that you're down in the dumps, figure out why and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Only YOU can make yourself happy. I guess this would be the most appropriate time to bring up a song from... you guessed it... a movie! It's from Monty Python's "Life of Brian". Remember it? "Always look on the bright side of life. If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten! And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing." I'm not some lunatic telling you to dance and sing in the streets (though it really does make you feel better!)... but get rid of that baditude and laugh your way through life. Let's start now. Ba ha ha ha BA HA HA HA HA!!! Feels good, doesn't it? Now, keep it up.