The theme song from MASH is a most pernicious earworm. Those opening notes, followed by the sounds of the helicopter, then it all starts up.. but I dont mind because it always reminds me of my Grandpa, and however many hours of my childhood were spent sitting with him as hed laugh away. As I got older I started to understand the humour, and the tragedy, a bit more. All of these tools/mediums, be it television, movie, blog, vlog, book, song, radio, conversation, illustration, or whatever else we have around and before us, can shape and impact our perceptions, and our emotions. What tv shows, movies, comics, conversations, leave a legacy and impact us subtly, deeply, vibrantly? I was just going to comment about the MASH theme getting stuck in my head, but now Im thinking more about more: Wes Andersons The Royal Tenebaums, Bill Wattersons Calvin & Hobbes, BBC/David Attenboroughs Planet Earth, LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow. We have these tools, these opportunities, before us, like never before. And Im ok with there being a bunch of different content out there that scratches all sorts of itches, but... what about highlighting and sharing those things that look deeper, aim higher, and last longer? There is a minority growing that is moving away from fast food towards organic/healthier foods, of paying attention to what we eat and where it comes from, what our choices support and encourage, and the realization that easiest does not equate with best, or even healthy. What if we continue and apply that thought to our content consumption? What if rather than aiming for the easy, we look to find, grapple, and dance, with those things that aim higher and take us further? Read some classic literature and grapple with the challenges of humanity, go to the places that arent always comfortable and easy, watch some challenging and engaging documentaries, listen to different genres of music and explore the nuance and depth of voice and instrument. What do you want to learn about? Google it. Search it on YouTube. Watch a University Course broadcast about it. Whatever you want to learn or dip your toes into, you can. And it doesnt have to be full immersion. A little bit at a time will still get you further down the road. So it comes down to this... these fleeting moments again. And the many that many of us have ahead of us, and the many that weve spent and learned so far, and the conversations we have, the relationships we build, and the life we choose. These arent easy choices or decisions. But it seems to me that a lot of the really good things in life, arent easy. And we all struggle along, and try to do what we can, and it can seem daunting and crazy and hard and tiring and... maybe we should start with re-reading Calvin & Hobbes? Or watching The Royal Tenebaums.. Or or or.. having conversations about what kind of stories, songs, books, movies, choices, weve found that have had value and meaning, have been of great reward for our investment of these precious seconds, minutes, hours, of life. Thats a good conversation to have I think. And now.. Ive taken that catchy MASH theme song, and those memories of time spent with Grandpa, and Ive attached it to the desire to fill my life with good, challenging, full experiences. And now to once again grapple with the day, dance with these desires, and make the most of these moments ;)
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 17:53:49 +0000
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