I used to read a lot of Calvin and Hobbes books when I was younger.
There was something in the mind if a six year old boy that resonated quite well with me, occasionally I return to them for a half hour of joviality.
One particular strip stuck with me, after barrelling down an improbably steep hill and sailing through the air on his little red cart, he and his tiger companion landed unceremoniously in a heap of tangled limbs and dust. Turning to his Hobbes he asks, “do you suppose there is something we should learn from this?” They both shrug and wander home picking dirt and grass from bedraggled clothing.
It is customary to spend a little time at this juncture in our lives pondering the past and looking to the future with renewed aspirations.
In Scotland we are not so good at that.
Most people adopt a “suck it and see” kind of attitude to life.
Over the holidays I have indulged in many movies, they are and always have been a great source of relaxation and inspiration for me. I can recount the details of so many great stories because of them.
We sat as a family for the first time and watched A Wonderful life, I didn’t recall the dialogue being so amusing. We watched my favourite film, Groundhog day, I never get tired of Bill Murray in that story. My daughter watched two other Christmas films that basically ripped off Groundhog Day in a vastly inferior tv movie fashion.
Whilst wrapping presents I watched Bill Murray again in St Vincent, I really enjoyed that. His youthful neighbour slowly warming to the grumpy drunk and in turn melting him a little. The best line was when the boy says to his mum that Vincent’s girlfriend worked nightshift, when he had actually told him she was a lady of the night.
In my brother in laws basement on boxing day we watched the Ridley Scott’s Exodus on a nine foot screen. No film has changed my perception of a Biblical story more than that one. Certainly there are some clinical errors but the overall picture is one of a man changing cultures and struggling to do so.
The last two I want to mention (there were many more) were both set in snow and ice. By the time I got through them I felt cold. Not that numbed to the bone cold that you get standing in a windy park waiting for a fire show to start. There was an irony! On New years day we went to a fire and light display, it was supposed to be a celebration of a New beginning with a climactic inferno of burned up wishes which were poked into a wicker tree.
An hour of watching dreadlocked, fire spinning people to the incessant drum beat and droning music, whilst being relelentlessly battered by a freezing East wind left the crowd depleted and numb. By the time the tree was eventually torched nobody cared any more and we all hastily retreated to the warmth of our homes.
The hateful eight was classic Tarantino, miles of back story and a messy climax, you either like his work or not, I get it. The reviewer in the New Yorker didn’t, neither did he appreciate the last movie I watched.
Leonardo de Caprio is a firm favourite of mine, I just like him.
But two and a half hours of crawling about in snow and icy water was just too much. He survived a litany of disasters before we joined the story and then during the movie. Fair play to him that he dragged himself to the bloody final battle with Tom Hardy. What I took from it was that having been through all of that heartache and pain and being consumed with bitter hatred and revenge, he still lost everything. There was no change other than a tiny hint that revenge was not his to take.
We can’t keep not learning.
I know that is a terrible sentence, but it stands true, we must stop the hurtful, damaging habits or they will destroy us and those around us.
I have been confronted with this reality in the last week and am determined to act!
Hello there, I discovered your blog by the use of Google whilst looking for a comparable subject,
your website came up, it appears to be like great.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.[X-N-E-W-L-I-N-S-P-I-N-X]Hi there, just became alert
to your weblog via Google, and located that it is really informative.
I am going to be careful for brussels. I will be grateful for those who continue this in future.
Lots of other people will probably be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
Merely a smiling visitant here to share the love (:,
btw outstanding design.
Hi there it’s me, I am also visiting this site
daily, this web page is actually fastidious and the users are truly sharing pleasant thoughts.
Hello, you used to write great, but the last several posts have been kinda boring…
I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a little
bit out of track! come on!
Hi all, here every person is sharing these kinds of familiarity, thus it’s
fastidious to read this web site, and I used to pay a quick
visit this weblog daily.
As soon as I noticed this web site I went on reddit to
share some of the love with them.
Great delivery. Solid arguments. Keep up the good work.
It is the best time to make some plans for the long run and it is time
to be happy. I have read this post and if I may I desire to counsel you few attention-grabbing issues or tips.
Maybe you can write subsequent articles referring to this article.
I want to read even more issues about it!
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet viewers, its really really
good post on building up new web site.
Hi there, I discovered your site by the use of Google at
the same time as searching for a similar topic, your website got here up, it seems to be
great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hello there, simply was alert to your blog through Google,
and located that it’s truly informative. I’m gonna be careful for
brussels. I’ll appreciate in the event you proceed this in future.
A lot of people shall be benefited out of your writing.
Cheers!
Very descriptive blog, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?
I do accept as true with all of the concepts you have offered on your
post. They’re really convincing and will definitely work.
Still, the posts are very brief for novices. May just you please extend them
a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
Howdy! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new apple iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts!
Keep up the superb work!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day.
It will always be exciting to read through articles from other authors and practice a little something from other sites.
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering
which blog platform are you using for this website?
I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking
at alternatives for another platform. I would be awesome if
you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
At this time it sounds like WordPress is the preferred blogging platform
available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your
blog?
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging
on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always exciting to read content from
other writers and use something from other web
sites.
I must thank you for the efforts you’ve put
in penning this site. I really hope to see the same high-grade content by you later on as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very
own website now 😉
What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I liked this article.
It was practical. Keep on posting!
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I am rather
certain I will learn many new stuff proper right here!
Best of luck for the following!
It’s very effortless to find out any matter on web as
compared to books, as I found this paragraph at this web page.
I am not positive the place you’re getting your info,
but great topic. I needs to spend some time studying much more or understanding more.
Thanks for excellent info I was looking for this information for my mission.
Inspiring quest there. What happened after?
Take care!
Touche. Sound arguments. Keep up the good work.