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(Most originally written for Daily Mantra).
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I must admit, I wondered what the Universe might be trying to tell me, or where my inner guidance is trying to draw my attention.
So I took a deep breath. Ahhhhhh. And I started thinking.
I remembered a few quotes from Tom Hanks films that talk about how to go on when life becomes painful.
From Castaway “I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”
From Sleepless in Seattle “I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breathe in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out..."
Life is like a musical instrument. All the potential is in the instrument to make incredible music, but for us to play the music, we have to practice. We have to make sure our thoughts instruct our actions and become habit so that our inspiration can come through.
2. Mamma Mia's storyline is compelling, good-feeling and tugs on the right heart-strings…enough to overcome the difficulty of believing that Meryl Streep's character is musical, and the unfortunate general lack of chemistry between cast members. Or maybe it's because I saw it alone on DVD instead of in a theater full of people. It's possible.
3. If you love someone enough, the way I love Pierce Brosnan, it doesn't matter if their singing makes you cringe…it'll pass. And …potential spoiler…Pierce Brosnan looks pretty damn good in a disco jumpsuit it turns out. (Oh how I love that man….)
4. Hope and love are ageless--I figure the "older crowd" in this film should be around 40, (since Sophie is 20 and Donna wasn't allowed to return home when she got pregnant--usually something a teen would say). But Meryl is 59 and Pierce is 55, and darn it, people of all ages deserve another chance at love!
5. If you love someone enough, (SPOILER) when they play a character who isn't "batting for your team", you don't believe it…even when they act/dance it convincingly. (I love me some Colin Firth too).
6. If you love a song enough, you'll keep watching even if it's not being performed by your favorite performers…and in this case--the movie's end credits--it's TOTALLY worth it.
The moral of the review: A good storyline and well-written, much-beloved songs can overcome almost anything!
One of the recipients of my messages of madness during the siege, birthday boy Mike Schaefer, reminded me that I had said something about the above comparison.
Probably something like:
"I guess Buddhist Priests blaring chants through my house at 3 am are still better than Judas Priest at this volume..."
See? As the prophet Eric Idle of Monty Python once said,
"Always look on the bright side of life" (insert whistling here)
You thought "Dancing with the Stars" was fun--this video has simultaneoulsy made me laugh, cry and restored my faith in humanity!
If you haven't already gotten my e-mail, or responded to my Facebook posts, here's my review:
"Inspiring, Joyous Silliness! A MUST SEE!
How could a guy doing a silly dance bring me to tears? When he invited others, all around the world to join him, and put it to music with words from a Tagore poem. It is beautiful in its simplicity and light-heartedness...."
The song playing in the background is sung in another language, but somehow the meaning comes through:
Stream of Life by Rabindranath Tagore
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
This response to the same Minnesota Post article helped explain why it made me cry (and some of my friends!)
There is a book by historian Barbara Ehrenreich called "Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy" that may explain, at least in part, why we are so moved by this video.
We're hardwired, deep in our reptilian brain, so respond positively to collective dancing. It helps us understand why grown men ( and women) weep when they see Matt's work.
This video is from a Bollywood film and is a fairly good indication of the nasal trend in women's voices here in South Asia. Aishwariya Rai stars in this film with her (now) husband Abishek Bachchan and his father, the Sean Connery of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, and boy does she shake her Aish! (Usually pronounced "ash".) Am I impressing you with my knowledge of Bollywood stars?
Two good friends in L.A. have told me twice over the last two visits that I sound nasal, and I'm beginning to think it is the Asian influence. I know I certainly adjust my accent, enunciating things I normally wouldn't, just to be understood, but I didn't think I was going nasal...or native. Who knows? It's a working theory.
In the meantime, enjoy a little Bollywood, if your ears can stand it. It took me a while to get used to the difference in vocal styling, but my Scottish friend Cecilia and my Korean friend Eunice were so into Bollywood, I could no longer resist. They both prefer Shahrukh Khan, but his voice is much lower and wouldn't prove my point! Maybe next time.
