I flew on Air Canada to Toronto on Monday. It’s my second time on that particular airline and I’m way impressed. In addition to being incredibly clean and spacious (I was seated at the far back of the plane), every seat also included on-demand video of a variety of films, television shows, and even music. You could even pause or rewind the footage. I’m a huge movie fan–this was my airline!
I decided to watch Julie & Julia, afraid that the more violent Taking of Pelham 123 might upset the nice woman sitting next to me. I found the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams film to be quite charming. Based on two true stories, the movie weaves the real life struggles of Julia Child as she learns to cook and slowly becomes the culinary celebrity of today and Julie Powell, a struggling government worker frustrated with her daily life who decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s book over the course of a year. Both women initially lack a sense of purpose. Both women pursue their passions. Both women are hit with numerous setbacks. Both women deal with frustration. Both women eventually triumph. It’s quite engaging.
I read about most films, but really heard a heartfelt recommendation of this film back in August at a business conference I attended. The presenter described the pursuit of passion, how it is often misunderstood, the need for hunger and drive, and the joy of the film itself. I kept on saying I’d get around to seeing the film (as I’ll watch most films other than horror). When it appeared on the flight, I figured it was time to watch it.
Again, it’s an enjoyable film, but something stood out a bit more than most “enjoyable” films I’ve seen recently. It was the manner in which the women approached difficulty in their lives. At the start of the film, Julia Child is not famous. She doesn’t have a daily purpose. She isn’t incredibly respected (although she most definitely is loved). Julie Powell is not world famous. She is not rich. She hates her job. She struggles with her friends. She lacks direction.
In today’s social media age, both of these women could easily update their facebook statuses with the three letters I HATE to see on facebook “FML.” I can’t stand this expression. I see it more and more, and it honestly bothers me. I know that we have difficulties in life. I know we have struggle. I know that life isn’t easy, but I hate to see people get stuck and simply post “FML.”
These two women DON’T make FML a focus of their lives. Instead, they say, “How can I improve my life?”
Julia Child realizes she has a love of food and defies all obstacles to transform herself into a wonderful chef of french cuisine.
Julie Powell realizes she loves to cook and challenges herself to cook in one year all of the recipes from Julia Child’s book and blog about the experience.
In the process of doing this, Julie & Julia not only enrich their own lives, transforming their daily living, but they also contribute to the lives of the people surrounding them.
This motivates me. This inspires me. This makes me want to live more deliberately.
I saw this same sentiment echoed in a wonderful book I read last month entitled A Million Miles in A Thousand Years. In it, author Donald Miller realizes his own life lacks a dramatic edge–that it isn’t quite going somewhere. In the course of a year, he transforms the way he lives, improving not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.
We can sit in a corner and complain. There are more than enough things to make up that list. We can focus on the bad stuff in our lives. That part is easy.
However, I think we can do more as people. I think we can transform our worlds. I think we can find things that bring us joy and make that joy present for others as well. I think we can live deliberately as Julie Powell, Julia Child, and Donald Miller all did.
It’s time for us to move away from those things that make us say FML, and find ways to say, “whoa that GMH (Gives Me Hope).”
Moments before I boarded my flight, I saw those three letters present in a student’s update: GMH. I saw there is a whole website dedicated to that movement–instead of looking at the negative, it strives to find the positive in life. I hope we all head that direction.
Let’s make www.givesmehope.org, the way that we see the world. Yes, there will be struggle. Yes, there will be setbacks. Yes, things won’t always work out, but as Julia Child use to say, “Don’t be afraid!”
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