dual personalities

I woke up this morning and thought it was Saturday. I then realized it was only Tuesday morning. It’s that sort of week. It is tempting to dwell in that. To wallow.

When I feel like a good cry, I have been known to turn to Awakenings. Based on Oliver Sacks’s 1973 memoir of the same title, it tells the story of a fictional character based on Sacks who, in 1969, he discovered beneficial effects of the drug L-Dopa. He administers it to catatonic patients who survived the 1917–28 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica and who awaken after decades and have to deal with a new life in a new time. My mother’s post yesterday reminded me of this great line:

Read the newspaper. What does it say? All bad. It’s all bad. People have forgotten what life is all about. They’ve forgotten what it is to be alive. They need to be reminded. They need to be reminded of what they have and what they can lose. What I feel is the joy of life, the gift of life, the freedom of life, the wonderment of life!

Leonard, Awakenings

Does anyone else feel that we have forgotten this? Life is a gift, meant to be lived.

I was also reading posts from several years ago and found a link to this article about It’s A Wonderful Life. Now, I will admit that It’s a Wonderful Life is not one of my favorites. Uncle Billy triggers me every year. But, this got me thinking:

The angel takes him back through his life to show how our ordinary everyday efforts are really big achievements.

Clarence reveals how George Bailey’s loyalty to his job at the building-and-loan office has saved families and homes, how his little kindnesses have changed the lives of others and how the ripples of his love will spread through the world, helping make it a better place.

Jimmy Stewart describing the plot.

Individuals do matter. And how you treat those around does matter. No matter how small or unimportant you think they are. I mean, I for one recognize that it’s much easier to be a happy person when you are surrounded by other happy people. When I lived in New York, I thought this was the funniest line in Ghostbusters II:

I also thought I was cool because I understood it. Now, I am so thankful that that is not my outlook anymore. I am thankful that people smile at me on the sidewalk and that I smile back. I am thankful that checkers look me in the eye and tell me to have a pleasant day. I am grateful for grocery stores. And those in the drive thru. It’s nice to be surrounded by people happy to be alive. Maybe life isn’t the way they want it to be or how they thought it would be, maybe it is, regardless, they’re pleasant. And this spreads to those around them. I used to hate going to Trader Joe’s where it seems they exclusively hire chatty people who make comments like “Wow, 9/11, it must be tough to have that as a birthday,” when carding you. Cue my withering glance. Now, sometimes I find myself chatting and enjoying it. What has the world come to?

I went to inauguration on Monday. It was peaceful and rather sparsely attended. The Governor used about every cliche in the book in his optimistic speech–half of which I’m pretty sure were middle school yearbook themes in the 90s (ie This is our time!)–but he’s right. It was a hard year (although looking back I find it went incredibly fast) but we have to keep our chins up and believe things will get better.