I did something today that I haven’t done in over 3 years. No, not sex, but the same can be said about that, I went to the movies. My kid and I hit the matinee of John Wick: Chapter 4. This was a very good movie to see on the big screen, beautifully shot and in the words of Keanu himself, the artistry would aptly be referred to as “cinema”.
March 4, 2020, I took my big bottle of loose change to the local Jewel to cash it in. To avoid a service fee, I had the credit placed on a receipt, a gift card of sorts to be used at AMC Theatres. Since the receipt stated that it could not be replaced if lost, I took a picture of it and then tucked it safely away inside my wallet. And then…the world exploded.
Over the past 3 years I’ve wondered about that receipt and the likelihood of me ever being able to use it. Did I just throw away $47.46? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve blown a wad stupidly, but this one really hurt. I’m not certain why this receipt has been a splinter in my brain, maybe because it was a reminder of how much I used to love movies, I mean LOVE movies and now, not so much.
At one point in my life, I dreamed of being a screenwriter or film editor. I used to participate in annual Oscar parties at a friend’s home, donning costumes and vying for the coveted traveling Oscar statue. If memory serves me, I did win twice, and tied once for having the most correct choices on my Oscar ballot. I took great pride in my choices. In the beginning, I would go see as many of the Oscar nominated pictures as I could in order to form an educated opinion. Later, I would use the Tribune’s Oscar picks and then finally, I used the Las Vegas odds baby, which served me well. It was fun!
I’d say, in the past 6 years, I’ve lost interest in going to the movies and become more of a homebody. In the past 3 years, I have not had any urge whatsoever, until my kid asked if I would like to go see this particular movie with him. I have enjoyed the previous 3 and quite honestly, who doesn’t love Keanu, so I decided to see if my AMC gift cards could be brought to life.
I was pleasantly surprised that with no effort at all, I was able to not only load the number on my tattered receipt into my AMC “wallet”, I was able to add a couple of other gift cards I found floating around in my home. It seems that they had no expiration date and I was welcome to use them for tickets and snacks. The whole experience made me wonder if there were other areas of my life that may have no expiration date as well.
Back in the day, when I was dating John the Pilot, there was a day that we went to a couple of different nature sites and I kept spotting turtles. I don’t believe in coincidences and something prompted me to say to him, “If we have a third turtle spotting today, you have to marry me.” He was not thrilled with this dare and even less thrilled, when we did indeed have a third, fourth and even a fifth spotting that day. It became a running gag and we kept spotting turtles, real and not on most of our adventures. Friends started to give them to me as collectables and our home became littered with turtle pictures, statues, candles, etc. Needless to say, John did not like this, but it made me happy. I even bought two little turtles that hung off the side of one of my potted houseplants. It was nice to dream that maybe one day, he would propose and we would live happily ever after. Alas, that day never came.
Those two little turtles made it to an outside potted plant this past summer. I swear that they were there until just recently when I noticed that only one was to be found. I searched the area, but no, I am now down to one turtle. I placed him inside the garage for safe keeping until I begin to rebuild Groovy Gail’s Garden this spring. The other day, after arriving home, I spied that little turtle, perched quietly, patiently waiting for me to notice him in my garage. I was so intrigued, that I took a picture of him. He didn’t appear to be sad, or lonely for that matter, just quiet. I know, it’s an inanimate object, but his peacefulness made me smile.
Thinking about all of this has made me wonder if my notions of what the future was to hold for me may not possess an expiration date either. I’m not saying that I’m gunning to be a screenwriter or to get married, but maybe some other variation of those dreams could come to fruition. I know as of late, I’ve been unusually happy, peaceful and content with life. I even sent a text to my mentor stating that I was very happy at the moment. “Not exactly certain as to why, but if I had to, today would be a good day to die. And no, I’m not drunk.” He responded, “I’m glad you had a good day.”
Today was also a good day. I didn’t accomplish much besides going to the movies, but I truly enjoyed spending time with my kid. I tried to accomplish some other chores, but they escaped me. No, instead, I decided to chat with friends about the day I was having and with that, I decided to write about those conversations. I don’t know if my writing this little blog will ever grow into something more, but I am happy that I have found a way to share my little stories with the universe. Whether or not someone reads them, is inconsequential. What matters most, is that I do this for myself and it makes me smile. Something like that, something that makes me feel so wonderful will hopefully never expire.
#thelieswechoosetolivewith
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.