Sometimes Life Surprises You

A message from my past

Have you ever had that experience where life gives you the thing you didn’t know you needed? Something surprising, maybe even something you didn’t know existed, and drops it in your lap?

Well on a Sunday last month I had exactly that happen. I got to spend an evening relishing in a love of my past self.

It all started when my friend, and talented oboist, Beatriz reached out with an offer:

“I have an extra ticket for the Florida Film Festival tonight. It’s a showing of the movie Now and Then and Christina Ricci will be doing a Q&A after. 8 pm. Do you want to join me?”

Now to comprehend the weight of this offer, you need to know preteen me. I loved Now and Then. It was a repeat rental growing up. I loved the girl shenanigans, the seances, the bike rides, and how they stood up for each other despite stereotypes.

Most of all, I loved that Devon Sawa was in it. I mean, what do you expect out of a young girl?

Now and Then had shaped my writing too. There’s a scene where the girls are in the basement of a library, searching through old newspapers, and the visuals inspired a scene in Chasing Dust. It felt like kismet. So can you guess what my impulse answer was?

IT WAS NO!

I kid you not. Despite this sounding like a once in a lifetime opportunity I started to talk myself out of it!

It’s late . . .

and a Sunday . . .

and probably a long drive.

Can you relate? Why do we try to talk ourselves out of joy so much?

Thankfully my husband’s Spidey senses were going off and he pushed me to marinade in it before deciding. As the seconds passed, I got more excited. What was I thinking? I couldn’t miss this!

The event was held at an amazing independent theatre in Orlando, called the Enzian. It has a lush outdoor garden to sit in, a concession stand wrapped in globe bulbs, and vintage furniture framed by extravagant wallpaper. As I sat in the theatre, a few rows from the front, I felt time warp in the best kind of way.

With no devices or distractions, I enjoyed getting lost in the nostalgia of it all.

I felt connected to a simpler time!

Afterward, Christina Ricci joined us and candidly spoke about her career. As audience members asked their questions, a unique realization hit me. For many, Now and Then was a movie that shaped their childhood. But for Christina, it was different. This wasn’t a film in the background growing up. It was a character she played at fourteen, and a summer spent on location in Savannah. This was one of many roles she’d played since her career started at nine.

Now and Then was just another movie.

The whole of it was a reminder of the importance of sharing our experiences. And moreover, the value in listening to other’s experiences. Having real conversations not only shows us the spectrum of reality, but also shows us the depth of human existence. It can be surprising, thought provoking, and if were lucky, inspiring.

The same applies to our creative work. To some, what you create might be life changing. To others, it may be barely memorable. So often we are caught up in getting the “right” response from people, that we miss the point.

There is space for both perspectives to be true.

It’s okay to create “just another” book, photograph, painting etc. How it lives in the world will vary, not just from person to person, but over time too. It will have so many “truths”. What’s important is putting your work out there, because that is YOUR experience. You are a creative and you have a story worth sharing.

In Friday’s Creative Spark, we will dive into this idea of opposites more. I’ve got a cool exercise for exploring the spectrum of truth and can’t wait to see what you come up with. For now, I’ll leave you with a question:

What’s something you loved as a child and have you revisited it as a grown up? Has it held water over time or does it feel like something an alternative version of you liked?

I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Keep on creating,

P.S. If you want a little jumpstart to your creativity this week, check out the latest inspiration palette here. I was feeling very inspired by the strength of a woman.