All right everyone! We are turning a corner! Happy days are here! I loved reading your confessions in the last post. Thank you for opening up with me. It reminds me that we’re all in this together. Everyone has a shared human experience. Unless you’re a psychopath (which I think is now called Antisocial Personality Disorder, but I’m not sure. Please feel free to correct me!) Is weird that I’ve always wanted to be a psychopath just to know what it feels like?
So anyway. I am dispelling my own belief that life is harder than it is easy. There is no reason why my life should be hard. I am going to approach all aspects of my life like I’m the luckiest person on Earth. What is luck anyway? Isn’t it just a state of mind? Because who ever heard of miserable people who are lucky? No. Luck and happy people have been tighter than Nicole Kidman’s face. We’ve established that everything sucks. But now we need to embrace the part about how it’s okay. Follow my lead. If you have to, tie a string around your wrist to remind you to be positive. Or buy yourself a Cartier watch, whatever.
Last night in acting class we talked about Keanu Reeves. We talked about how every role he plays is him getting lucky in some way or other. Keanu is “the chosen one.” And yet, in his real life, he is the most unlucky person ever. Everyone he has ever loved, everyone who is close to him, has died in some freak accident. Kind of like Kelsey Grammer. I think his sister was killed in a robbery or something and then someone else who was related to him was eaten by sharks. Sharks. But Fraiser’s life is pretty good. Sharks!
You just have to find what your thing is. Like our acting teacher told us that Tom Hanks’s thing was he always plays someone who isn’t prepared for something. “I’m not prepared to be a kid in an adult body.” “I’m not prepared to date a mermaid.” “I’m not prepared to become the poster boy for AIDS.” “I’m not prepared to live in a world where I have an IQ of about 56.” “I’m not prepared to be stranded on an island.”
(THIS IS ALSO THE BEST PARTY GAME EVER. Someone theorized that Leonardo DiCaprio’s thing is that he always has to escape from something. Feel free to play this game in the comments!!!)
What is your thing? What human quality is consistent in your life? What keeps popping up? Embrace it and use it. Maybe you don’t like what your thing is. But you don’t choose your thing; your thing chooses you (instead of “thing” our acting teacher calls it “myth.”) This whole conversation blew my mind. If you know who you are and you’re comfortable with it and you believe in yourself, there’s nothing you can’t do. You need to look at what you have and not lament over what you don’t. I’m not Charlize Theron and who gives a fuck.
Does it mean I’m “cured” from years and years of putting myself down? No. But it means that I’m going to view every day in a different light. Light! Not darkness! You are meant to have a happy life! You are allowed to feel good! You don’t have to doubt yourself! You don’t have to wait in anticipation for the hammer to come down! Good feelings bring more good feelings! We’re going to be okay, you guys!
Hey, thank you so much for posting this! I broke up with my boyfriend today and felt like utter shit and it’s super nice to read about someone getting over a hump.
i like to fix things. very important part of my life is fixing things. tell me problems? i fix them. it’s actually really irritating though because i do wish my “thing” was something else.
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Best Post Ever. What an lovely way to look at life!
Great post – I love the idea of playing that game in the pub after a few drinks with friends
Do it and tell me how it goes!
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.
Just kidding, we are gonna be okay. NASA found bacteria that thrives on arsenic; that’s gotta be good news, right?
Glad you’re posting again.
Chag orim sameach.
Yeah, sorry I was away for so long!
My 19-year-old (but mature) sister broke up with her boyfriend of almost 3 years today. She wants to go out to dinner tomorrow night. Almie, what do I say to her?
d
Uh, say yes? Or do you mean what to say to her about her break-up?
yeah, about the breakup. does a girl want to hear “it’s going to be ok” or should i just let her vent?
Lindsay Lohan is always in transition and the new girl. (The only movies I’ve seen are Mean Girls and Georgia Rule.)
I’m thinking Leonardo’s thing is the guy “who isn’t quite who he say’s he is”
Oh, and to answer the question: I was always the guy who had to have a lady in the picture. And I always had to make sure that I saw it ending before it started. Not always consciously, mind you.
Good not to be that guy anymore.
I fear my thing is recently separated men middle aged coming on to me. Now if only they had money, I would know how to use this…
I am really happy you seem to be doing better. I always loved you though!
I fear that my thing might be that for a brief time I become completely indispensable in a man’s life (whether it be romantic, family, work). They drain me dry, then move on.
Or maybe that despite the first “myth” I am always surrounded by wonderful friends : )
What is your thing Almie?
I don’t know what my thing is yet, but I’m going to find out soon! Ask me again in about two weeks.
Perfect attached song. Just perfect.
Aw, thanks! Also every few years I go on a huge Queen binge.
My thing is always being the responsible planner. It used to be being the responsible planner who always got let down. Now I’m the responsible planner who has people begrudgingly admit she’s right.
Your thing is putting a witty spin on every situation. You should play parts where there are voice overs or ample conversations with friends where you can re-hash your life.
I continued your Tom Hanks game through my Facebook status, and this is what we came up with:
I’m not prepared to attempt a moon landing and instead almost die on an unsuccessful journey
I’m not prepared to take care of a giant slobbery dog
I’m not prepared to be a lost toy making his way back home.
I’m not prepared to save one of four brothers from dying because the others are already dead. Especially since I have Michael J. Fox syndrome.
I’m not prepared to find the secret of Jesus Christ in France
I’m not prepared to be a widow father and fall in love with someone who lives in Maryland
I am not prepared to be late to the North Pole
I am not prepared to meet my book-selling competitor who I am internet in love with.
I’m not prepared to be foreign and live in an airport.
I’m not prepared to coach a women’s baseball team
I’m not prepared to help a ragtag band from Pennsylvania make it big only to realize they’re one hit wonders. Wait, maybe I am prepared for that one.
Fun day.
Oh my God awesome.
aaahahaahahaaa….im not prepared to be foreign and live in an airport…hilarious!!
and yeah…totally prepared for his one hit Wonders…but he wrote that one himself so maybe it can be an exception.
that is such an interesting thing to think about!! i read an interview with amy adams once where she was discussing roles she’s attracted to and she said, “There’s something about the destruction of innocence that I find fascinating.” And if you look at any of her roles, that’s the theme.
interesting game. My ‘role’ – a girl who is quite conservative at heart and just wants to go down a straight path in life (or thinks she does) but just keeps on finding her flung into the outlandish adventures that constantly shake her view of how things ‘should’ be.
For example, I don’t go out look for crazy jobs, they find me. And crazy men. they find me too, like heat seeking missiles.
woops, my post is full of typos, i meant to say ‘finding herself flung into the most outlandish adventures….’ can’t type today!
i saw keanu reeves at canters one saturday night around 3am. he wasnt wearing any shoes. that guys is a real character.
i dont know what my thing is…as beautiful as that post was…im still depressed…sorry. maybe my thing is being depressed. ha! ooh well.
My thing is I’m always petrified of change. I think? Who knows, great post though!
xx
http://cupcakesandwhiskey.wordpress.com/
Love this post, especially the actor references. Somehow, that made it all make sense. You are so right…it’s OK!
“I am not prepared to execute a giant African-American man convicted of raping and killing two young white girls who is actually innocent, has some kind of psychic healing powers and an IQ of about 56.”
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