EPIC ideas

I've been watching the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (DVD, director's cut) over the past few days.  I've seen them before, but had forgotten how intense they are.  And how wonderful.


Confession:  I've never read the books.  I know I should, and I might someday, but I really enjoy the movies.  And, I feel that movies are a form of writing.  Someone had to write that screenplay.  And in this case, from what I understand, the screenplay was quite true to the books.

But what I wanted to highlight in this particular post are the ideas of LOTR, the nuts-and-bolts.  The themes, the elements, the symbolism.  They're so rich and meaningful.  (I won't get too detailed, for those who haven't read the books or watched the movies).

First, the epic nature of the trilogy:  I love the immense scope of it -- all the different terrains and settings (forests, mountains, caves, swamps), the characters/races (dwarves, elves, kings, trolls, orcs, wizards, hobbits), the individual storylines (dozens of them!) that actually all meld together in the end.  It's a BIG, sweeping movie, and it feels....epic.  In fact, you feel rather exhausted after finishing it.  But in the best possible way.  You've escaped into another world, an epic world, and immersed yourself in it.

Then, there are the themes.  Friendship, loyalty, jealousy, sin, forgiveness, family relationships, war, honor, love (<----friendship, romantic, familial), sacrifice, good vs. evil.  Those are just a few I rattled off in seconds.  I'm sure there are many more.  Again, epic.

And the symbolism -- though there are many symbols, the ring is, of course, the primary one.  A tiny piece of metal.  It looks so harmless.  Beautiful, even.  But it symbolizes all that's evil and wrong with this world, and with humans.  When the bearer of the ring is affected by it, such a clever picture is painted, of what sin does, and how human nature is drawn to it.  I especially loved (and cringed over) the "evolution" of Gollum/Smeagol that begins the third movie.

Even though this is a "big" movie/trilogy, probably the most meaningful moments are the small moments within the epic.  The nuances of friendships, decisions made that seem insignificant at the time, but produce enormous outcomes with consequences.

Bravo, Tolkien.  And bravo Peter Jackson, and his entire team.  Both works - the books and the movies - are masterpieces.  Epic masterpieces.

Award!

I've been just been awarded this.  How cool is that?!?!

Many thanks to the clever blog/blogger at Single Writer Mom Rants for this.  She's a super-sweet, uber-witty gal, and she's got an equally-witty blog:  link here

So -- the rules for the award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to the awarding blog.
2. Answer 7 questions about yourself.
3. Provide 10 random factoids about yourself.
4. Hand the award to 7 deserving others.

Questions about myself:

1.  Favorite song?  "Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls

2.  Favorite dessert?  Sea-salted caramels.  Oh my.

3.  What do you do when you're upset?  Either shut down and close off from people, and/or vent about it by writing.

4.  Favorite pet?  Corgis!!  Here's my Darcy:

5.  White or whole wheat?  White.  Definitely.

6.  Biggest fear?  Losing a loved one unexpectedly.

7.  General attitude?  Generally pessimistic/realistic, but with a few sprinkles of hope on top.

10 Random Factoids:

1. I have a real weakness for donuts. I could eat 5 of them, easily, in one sitting.

2. I'm an Anglo-phile and would probably live in England if I wouldn't miss my family and friends so much.

3. Nothing makes me laugh more than slapstick. I love a good pratfall.

4. I hate it when I feel like a friendship/relationship is terribly lop-sided - when I'm doing most of the giving, and that other person is doing most of the taking.

5. I adore sarcasm, but don't like using it much, myself. I'm always too afraid the other person won't "get" it, and will be offended.

6. I know my love of Shakespeare came directly from my watching the 70's movie version of Romeo and Juliet. I was 13 years old and hadn't read the play yet, so I had no idea about the tragic ending. I got so absorbed in it that I think I might've even talked to the screen, to Romeo - "No - she's ALIVE. Don't kill yourself!" lol Alas, he didn't listen to me...

7. I wish people didn't feel the need to judge other people. We're all in the same boat, living this life. So why point fingers?

8. I'm guilty of being way too sensitive, of hurting too much when I get let down by someone.

9. I hate seafood. I know it's supposed to be good for me, but ick. Hate it.

10.  I'm a Christian and I'm not ashamed of it.  No, I don't push my beliefs on other people, but I do love having respectful conversations about different people's views.  My good friends all range from other Christians to Buddhists to atheists.  I believe in freedom of choice, that people are totally free to believe whatever they wish.  Do I wish they'd seek/choose Jesus, and discover the same peace I've found?  Absolutely.  But I still respect their decision not to.  :-)

Other deserving blogs to award:

The Sweet Life  http://www.beckybray.me/

Pensive Sarcasm   http://pensivesarcasm.blogspot.com/

Author's Echo  http://www.adamheine.com/

"What If?"

There's a cartoon I found online that has two men, both digging through tunnels.  The first one, on top, is working hard, teeth gritted, determined to make it.  The other one, below him, has changed direction.  He's got his pickaxe over his slumped shoulders, and has given up, walking the other way.

If we look to the right of the cartoon, we see what the men were digging for: diamonds.  But more shocking than that, we see how close they were.  A mere inches away.  The man still digging WILL find those diamonds in a few more minutes.  But the one who gave up?  He never, ever will.

There's a quote that goes with this:  "If you give up too soon, you'll never know how close you were."  ~Unknown

That image and quote are so powerful.  And they perfectly embody how I feel about following your dreams.  To the end.  Even if they're years in the chasing, dreams are worth the pursuing.  Because the "what if" question is just too hard to bear. What if your dreams are right around the corner?  And what if you gave up on them moments too soon?