Before I start with my “No Spoiler” review of Alice in Wonderland I want to say a few things about movie reviews. I gave up reading movie reviews long ago. I used to look forward to them. I loved watching movies and I wanted to gather all the info so that I could pick out some good movies to watch with my wife. Then I read a review of Spiderman (actually it may have been Spiderman 2, I can’t really remember anymore.) The movie was really hyped up in the media. The pre-movie buzz was off the charts. The movie reviews were phenomenal. I was excited. I was expecting the movie of the century.
I went into that movie theater knowing that I was about to see a fantastic movie. I watched. After the closing credits rolled, I felt a sense of disappointment. It was a very surreal feeling, I was just not satisfied. The movie had not lived up to the hype. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very good movie, but with the movie reviews and hype I was expecting a cinematic masterpiece. In that very moment, before we even left the theater, I realized that my preconceived expectations had ruined my movie experience. I expected the movie of the century, and I merely received a great movie. I was disappointed with excellence because it wasn’t better than excellent; because it wasn’t what I expected. On that day I gave up movie reviews for good.
So, to preserve the excitement and wonder of your movie going experience, I offer this one word review of Alice in Wonderland.
Inspiring
That’s my review. Your mileage may vary, so expect nothing and enjoy the movie.
By entering experiences with no expectation of greatness, you are free to enjoy that experience in its natural setting. My experience with Spiderman was a small epiphany for me. I love small epiphanies, these little life lessons that just pop into our heads. This was one of those, and I was able to expand it to other parts of my life. I practiced letting go of expectations and found that most things in life were more enjoyable that way. I was no longer tied to my own beliefs or influenced by the beliefs of others. I was free to make my own decisions and free to experience the moment.
I think this may actually be a key part of living in the Now. In order to live in the Now, I must enter the experiences of life with open arms, willing to accept the joy or sorrow of my decisions. Ready to control my own experiences rather than relying on others to dictate them. I have to decide for myself. Whether it’s a movie or something more important, I must gather enough information to make good decisions, but not too much that the opinions of others cloud my judgment. Then I must live it. Living in this manner I find that most things in life tend to be enjoyable.
Unexpected things happen when I sit down to write. Somehow this post connected with my last post about thankfulness, which also touched on expectations. I didn’t plan it that way, but that’s what the universe had in store for me. If you enjoy life’s little connections like this, then I encourage you to subscribe to Eden Journal through RSS feed, email, or Kindle.
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I like the movie analogy. I have often seen movies that I loved that did not receive many thumbs up in the review and also the opposite. I have been very disappointed by movies that received great reviews. But perhaps it was not the movie or the review but my expectations that influenced my experience. I often find myself anticipating the future and not spending enough time in the now. Thank you for reminding me to just be in the moment.
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