In Bliss
I’ve had this new “policy” of only watching movies that are uplifting.
The ones that make me want to off myself by the time I get to the end of them? Nah. All set with those.
It’s okay if some sad or depressing shit happens in these movies, as long as there’s a happy ending. And I’m getting pretty good at what words Netflix uses as code for “uplifting” versus “makes you suicidal and/or homicidal”. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. In any case, doesn’t matter, ’cause it’s what works for me.
So the other night I’m watching this movie with Kate Hudson called “A Little Bit of Heaven”. (I know, it’s sounds really corny, right? I LOVE corny.) You might think this one is going to be depressing, because- spoiler alert- in the beginning of the movie, Kate Hudson’s character gets colon cancer. But don’t be fooled. It’s really a great movie with a very beautiful message…and yes I do understand the irony of that statement right after the sentence with the words “colon” and “cancer” in it. 😉
Really, if you want to watch this movie, just go do it now and then come back and read my blog, ’cause I’m about to tell you most of the plot.
There’s this part where she dreams that she goes up to heaven and Whoopie Goldberg is God. (Whoopie looks pretty young, so it’s probably an old movie that you’ve already seen anyway, come to think of it.) And she gets to make three wishes for what she wants to experience before she dies. One of the wishes is to be able to fly.
Back down on Earth, she wakes up and wins a free hang gliding lesson, which is apparently something that she’s always wanted to do. What a coincidence, I think! I’ve always wanted to do that too. And suddenly, I’m thinking: “Wait, I’m 50, and I haven’t done it yet. What if by the time I finally get around to it, it’s too late? What if I’m too old, and my body can’t do it anymore, and I miss out?!” Momentary fear.
And then, I’m watching Kate Hudson, sick with colon cancer, for cripes’ sake, gliding away and loving it- and I realize: all is well! Kate Hudson is gonna die- I’m sorry, I TOLD you to go watch the movie before reading on- and there will still be things that SHE wants to do. And I may or may not ever do any hang-gliding before I die.
I am filled with such an incredible feeling of peace and joy, in that moment. I get it. I really get it in my bones. IT DOESN’T MATTER. It really, really doesn’t. We will all die without having had certain experiences in this lifetime. And it’s all okay. Kate Hudson can just come back again, IF she chooses to, and do the next thing she wants to do, in her next lifetime. And so can I. And so can you. We really ARE eternal. So there never has to be any regrets, or any scarcity. We are all moving toward everything that we want. And if we don’t get to it now, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to.
Of COURSE there will always be more; we live in a constantly expanding universe. If we choose to come back and be on this side of the equation, then we do. And if we don’t, then we can experience the expansion from a different realm. There is no scarcity. There is no end. There is no hurry-up-and-do-it. There is only be here now, enjoy life, take your time. There’s no rush. You and I have all the time in the world. Might as well enjoy the ride.