Monday's Advice For World Happiness: Step Out of the Character Known As "You"!

 Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object....

If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. 

---Bruce Lee

So Saturday I had a really interesting day.  I decided to go to see a movie rather spontaneously on the way home from a long day at the studio.   And to further entertain myself, I put myself to task to pick something that I had no clue about, and that on sight, would most certainly appear to be something I would normally not see.  I was intentionally trying to pick what I thought would be a bad movie -- just to see if I was right.  Just for kicks and giggles. 

So. I get to the theatre and see an enormously annoying, big comic-lettered sign for a movie called KICK ASS.  This made choosing pretty easy as it definitely fit the bill of something I'd never consider, because by all appearances it seemed pretty in my face stupid -- in that sort of Jim Carey-esque, Dumb & Dumber-esque fashion...of which I am NOT NOT NOT a fan. I mean I like Film Forum Films, Documentaries, Interviews, The History Channel  & Foreign Flicks.  I like films that win Film Festivals.  I like Performance Art.  KICK ASS was definitely not any of that.  So, I go to the window to get my ticket & then IT WAS 13 BUCKS (they've gone digital so we pay more now for an upgrade that we didn't ask for).  I then promptly reconsidered, thinking -- "$13 for a bad movie and I know it's bad going in?!" HMMMPH!  Then I forked it over all in the name of an experiment. 

My reasoning for this little experiment?   I had a sort of epiphany at the studio earlier on that consisted of my realizing that one of the very main problems I have been trying to solve FOR AGES in my dance training was rooted in the fact that I was approaching this particular problem energetically in the same exact manner I had found successful for my Gymnastic/Athletic training -- which wouldn't be so surprising, except for the fact that I haven't done gymnastics in like, oh about 14 years! And further, this approach makes no sense for the current task at hand.  Truthfully, this approach really wouldn't work for anything other than gymnastics or track or.... sparring! So, through this I realized that I was in fact stuck in a very old version of myself.  I had not upgraded to the new version, but I was trying to run a new program!  And any computer geek knows that well, 'that ain't gonna work'!  So I then started wondering...what other areas am I running on an old program?  And thus 'The Movie Experiment' was born.  You see, usually I read the reviews before I go to the movies, and I go to those 'art house movie theatres', choose very carefully something I think I will really enjoy and then assert my taste, assuring satisfaction.  It's all very neat and organized.   

And so I saw KICK ASS, and ya know what?? IT WAS ONE FUN, ENTERTAINING, KICK-ASS FILM!  I loved it! Literally from the very first scene I was laughing -- and it had all the elements that I truly enjoy -- adventure, a plot, unexpected twists, suspense, special effects and Surprise! MARTIAL ARTS, which is another secret little obsession that I have. I was entertained the entire time and the humor wasn't at all Dumb & Dumber --or at least not for no good reason --  the humor fit the idea which was based on a comic book series of the same name,and as such, fit the genre to a "T".  Indeed, I had totally misjudged the film -- and was a bit rigid in my assertion that anything with such a name must be stupid; the truth is,  it was my own rigidity that was stupid.  Further, I then read the reviews of the film the following day.  These reviews in hindsight, after-viewing, actually seemed over-thought, intellectualized........saccharine.  And yet, I know that had I read them beforehand I would have only used these very smart opinions of others to justify my refusal to see the film -- using them to disguise the fact that I just didn't care for the title -- or that I thought such a film was "not me" -- or that it was playing, at, GASP! a normal movie theatre! 

So, touche.  I got my arse kicked right out of character-- and rightfully so!  Today in class I hope to bring a fresh approach from the most recent version of myself -- and as such I just betcha that a Happy Monday has a little bit more odds of happening.  Indeed, I bet even further that all of you could use a bit of an update too -- so how bout you set yourself to task to try one thing today that is totally out of your character -- something you simply 'don't do'.  Try a new sandwich at lunch, or go to dinner with a date that you don't really think you'll like, further more, KISS THEM! (:-O);  buy a CD from an Artist you are convinced you'd hate, go to a meeting of an opposing political party, buy a book out of your usual genre... or, go see Kick Ass!

We all need a character break now and again -- otherwise we type-cast ourselves into what can often only become a comfortable, yet pitiful role. Give the new & improved you a chance -- and in this way maybe we can all come a little closer to creating a new & improved world!

Happy Monday!

Madame B.