Danny Deckchair

"Imagine you go away
On a business trip one day
And when you come back home,
Your children have grown
And you never made your wife moan"

-Regina Spektor

I like that song, because of that part, and also because of Regina's advice to people who are too caught up with worries, etc.:

"Maybe you should just kiss someone nice,
Or lick a rock,
Or both"

In the past twenty-four hours I've watched four movies:

Rushmore
Solaris
Rezervni Deli (Spare Parts)
Danny Deckchair

Of these, Rushmore and Danny Deckchair are my favorites. Both are quirky, funny, and have a love story. And both have happy endings. Everything works out for everyone, pretty much.

Normally I'm against that kind of shit, because too often a happy ending = cliché. But these pull it off. Kudos.

I think most people give a thumbs up to happiness. Isn't that what everyone spends their whole life looking for? Some method of living that leaves them lying in bed at the end of every day saying, "That was real good"?

And isn't that why we like books and music and movies and art and all these other forms of entertainment, whether mid-day snack or American Idol? They're like gift boxes, or microwave dinners; pieces of life telling us what it might mean to feel, everywhere and all the time, that everything was real good.

But who wants a Healthy Choice alfredo over some homemade spaghetti?

Here comes my happy ending. Let's hope it's not cliché.

If we're not content to settle with a frozen dinner, we shouldn't be content to settle with TV shows and movies and books. Sure, they can be a part of the whole of what makes things great, but if we don't have our own actions supporting those tidbits, we've got nothing. It's Yeats' question all over again: Life of Action or Life of Contemplation? We have to find ourselves somewhere in between.

Why do I like movies like Danny Deckchair, or music like Regina Spektor's? For one, because it feels real good. But also, because it makes me want to go out and do something on my own. Something first-hand, that I can call mine. It doesn't have to be entirely original. Ride a fucking bike if that makes you happy. All I'm saying is don't sit around all day watching the Tour de France.

Kiss someone nice. Lick a rock. Tie helium balloons to a deck chair. Start a club. Fly a kite. Fall in love.

But make sure to do it all the way.

Like Lincoln said: "Whatever you are, be a good one."