(link credit: Josh Spector)
Jenn See’s mother, Cynthia, sent this to me awhile back. After yet another round of destructive tornadoes (this time very close to home. My wife’s aunt was in the hospital that was hit, thankfully she is okay) it seemed like it might be a good time to share it with you. You deserve a good heart-warming feeling, and a smile.
I would be more willing to watch commercials if they were all this creative.
If there were more commercials like this I’d want to watch them all the time. This was very inspirational. Try to find more for us Carl.
Just occasionally commercials really manage to “nail it” and pack more into their few minutes than some series do in their entire season. What a wonderful one this is.
Jim: On may levels I hate the idea of growing old. Yes, I know, it beats the alternative. But the fact that we have come to realize at our ages that we still feel very young inside makes the idea of having an older body that doesn’t want to cooperate that much more sad. On the other hand, I’ve always had a real heart for the elderly. Even way back in college I was volunteering in a program that went and visited folks in nursing homes. I say all that to say that I like seeing things like this because it reminds me on many levels that I need to take care of myself now and that I need to continue to nurture my “inner child”. I never want to become stagnate at any age. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen this music video by Sigur Ros. I love the song and the video is just another reminder to me of being playful at any age:
Darren: You are correct. Seeing brilliant short films like this make me really frustrated with some of the crap that Hollywood greenlights and spends millions on.
this was lovely. tears welled up. thank you for sharing.
and I absolutely adore that sigur ros video.. and the song is a particular favorite.
~L
glad your relative (and your family) is safe, the footage coming out of joplin is devastating.
L: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m glad Cynthia passed it on to me. And thank you. The death toll keeps rising in Joplin and I am so grateful for their safety.
That was really great, thanks for posting it!
Fantastic commerical. It is certainly inspiring.
Thought of you Carl when the news broke about the tornado. I was glad to see all your comments yesterday. Good to know that your family is safe and well too. It is such a terrible devastation. I read that this tornado ties for the deadliest tornado since the weather service started tracking. I learned a few other tornado historical facts along the way. While I live in an areas that does get hit by tornadoes, I am thankful that we do not live in the alley. It must all be frightening.
That is a fantastic video that you placed in your comments. I love it!!!
You said, “But the fact that we have come to realize at our ages that we still feel very young inside makes the idea of having an older body that doesn’t want to cooperate that much more sad.” That is why, friend, we should take care of our bodies as best as we can. The healthier our frame is the better we are able to deal with illnesses.
Ibeeg: I agree totally, and I wish sometimes I didn’t struggle so much between the mental desire to be a healthy person and the work it takes to actually do so. We have been walking more and are being more conscious about the portion sizes we take at meals, etc. Mary has been making sure we have more salads and fruits/veggies for our meals.
Thank God I’ve never been anywhere close to where a tornado hit despite growing up in Nebraska, living in Tulsa, OK for 11 years and now living in Kansas City. I pray that streak continues. We got word from Mary’s mother that Mary’s aunt had some splinters but was otherwise unharmed. Evidently her purse was sucked out the window during the tornado.
Sadly last night I got news that a pastor that I grew up admiring and spent some time with during my youth died in a hiking accident in Switzerland last week. He was only 55. Just one more reminder that this part of our life is finite and that time is a precious gift.
James: Glad you enjoyed it. Make sure you show it to Julie, I thought of her when I posted it, knowing she would probably enjoy it.
I lost a close friend on Thursday. He was 45 and we’d known each other since I was 9. Thank you for this post, I’m glad your wifes Aunt is well and I’m sorry for the loss of your friend 🙁
actually i found that clip sad (could be because I am old). It’s like watching the bucket list..knowing you are going to die any day so go do something instead of waiting for it.
many good movies are made yet. They are just not promoted and some not even released except on video. I love our modern movies but when you combine it with stories like Cocoon or the Whales of Autumn or Ladies in Lavender or the Thanksgiving Visitor… a few more might be To Dance With a White Dog, About Schmidt and Second Hand Lions, Driving Miss Daisy etc.. the list goes on but it’s still such a small list compared to how many movies are out there…plus.. they are just not advertised. You will note only a few you know of immediately… others you go “huh?”.. I soooo love (and always have) when the movies have a lot of old actors in them… I know they, once again feel useful, and we all know that it could well be the last time we see those particular actors on the screen… We need a few more of them to be promoted . Variety makes for better movies!
Deslily: I hadn’t really thought of what something like this might look like from the perspective of someone closer to this age. Of course I still think part of the intention is supposed to be positive, which is to inspire people to get out and ‘live’ vs. just sitting around allowing old age to be the dominate thing in their life. Still, at any age there is a bit of melancholy at watching something like this.
I agree, variety does make for better movies. I just wish there wasn’t so much ‘variety’ that was multi-million dollar shlock and rehashes of films that have been made before, etc. Secondhand Lions is a great example of a good story that had to be fought hard just to get made. I know there are more writers like Tim McCanlies who have something slightly different to offer the movie going public. I like seeing the older actors/actresses as well largely because the talented ones are VERY talented and prove it out there on the screen. And, as you said, it may be their last big opportunity.
Kelly: I am so sorry to hear that. That is far too young for a person’s life to come to an end and I cannot imagine what you and their family are going through. I am very, very sorry for your loss.
Thanks for posting that, Carl. Powerful, touching, and beautiful. What a rare and wonderful combination. My thoughts go out to your loved ones.
Phil: Thanks! And I agree, some real heart went into creating this. Very clever idea for a bank commercial.