So, my roommate is pretty much obsessed with the movie Big Fish. I mean, to the point of quoting every single line before the actors even get to say it ... makes it kind of anti-climatic, actually. Anyways, we watched it a few days ago in our apartment- roommate bonding time and all. Perfect timing for a movie to write my blog on. Well, one of the obvious motifs of Big Fish is the idea of fate. Are we trapped by our fate, do we create our own fate, does fate even exist? "This is good. I will totally expound on this controversial topic," I say to myself. How Honors kid-esque of me.
But then, about 3/4 of the way through the movie, in an attempt to justify his bank robbing, the poet with the super creepy eyeballs, Norther Winslow (played by Steve Buscemi- freaky eyes, right?), delivers the quote from above. "Yessssss, forget that Honors kid rambling. I'm going with my gut on this one," think I. And now here we are.
I suppose the reason that quote hit me so hard is because it is very similar to a lesson I learned myself this summer. I went on a study abroad trip to one of the most beautiful, most incredible, and most chill places on Earth: New Zealand. People always ask me, "What is your favorite thing about your trip?" They're probably just looking for a quick and easy answer about a really sweet hiking trip. But instead I get on my soap box and tell them exactly what I'm about to tell you.
What I really brought home with me from my study abroad trip was what I learned from the people who live there. Kiwis, immigrants, visitors; they all share something in common:
Everyone in New Zealand is happy. And people are happy because they're not stressed out. And they're not stressed out because (for the most part) they do what they love ... every day. And 9 times out of 10, what they love to do does not fall in the category of having a "normal" job or living a "typical" lifestyle. I feel like the emphasis in America is go to school, get a job, get married, have some kids, that's your life, the end. But what if that's not what I want? What if that's not what you want? Here, you would probably get disapproving looks, lots of lectures from really ancient relatives at family reunions, and potentially become buddy-buddy with poverty. In New Zealand, the proper response is "So what?" No matter what they have or don't have, they're happy. What more could you ask for? I met a gondolier who used to be a banker in England and then sold everything he owned to move to a country that made him happy. Now he pushes boats for a living and loves his life more than ever before. To him and the many people like him that I met, every day IS an adventure.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is this ... an especially poignant statement considering the jobs (or more appropriately, lack thereof) that most of us in this class want to have one day ... whatever it is that you love, do it. Do it every day. Do it always and forever. Make every day an adventure for yourself; it's not just for those awesome kiwis in New Zealand. Don't let anyone or any formula that appears to exist create your life for you. And who cares if you're poor? Who cares if you don't live in a house with a big green lawn, complete with three kids and a dog?
Let's be honest, that's probably overrated anyways.
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