when and how to begin writing. What do I write? This dreaded moment that expanded from an hour, to days, then months and now years. I’ve been on the precarious end of the diving board long enough. So here it goes. Deep breath, bend those shaking knees, jump!

…All time goes into slow motion…

Why this moment? Why now, Monday, February 22, 2016 at 8:17 am?

One, I was laid off work in January. The intense training I sustained for 36 years, 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, wore me out. “Restful” two-day weekends were a joke. Without mental stamina I couldn’t do anything productive toward my “real” life goals. Now, a month into my tapper, I have the energy. No excuse.

Number two, this past weekend three movie-related inspirations swooped down upon me all at once. Those dramatic cinematic touchstones found within the hero’s journey always lead to my desire for action. Here we go.

• Touchstone 1 — Birth: Friday morning started with Fire, the first of the four-part documentary, Cooked by Jigsaw Productions. Reflective of the cyclical nature of all things, editor, Michael J. Palmer, stitches together a visually stunning homage that is riveting. It was so overpowering I frankly haven’t had time to digest it’s impact on me let alone be able to meaningfully express it in words. All I can say — experience it as soon as you can! This is a story, where lessons and meaning pour forth, makes me want to swallow it whole. Based on the book by Michael Pollan and directed by Alex Gibney, this new Netflix Documentary Series. Check out the trailer.
• Touchstone 2 — Death: Soon after the Cooked documentary discovery, time came to a screeching halt when I read about the death of Harper Lee. Death of someone I know always makes time stop. The visceral effect on my body is like a sucker punch to the gut. My breathing stops, my senses dissociate and my timeline of life hits rewind, pausing at each moment where their spirit crossed mine. When I began reading Go Set A Watchman, tears streamed down my face. Like seeing an old best friend, the words and voice of Scout where fresh, alive and familiar. Where scences of Gregory Peck, Dill, Jem and Boo from the movie, To Kill A Mockingbird played in my head. And then I woke up out of my stupor, my breathing equalized and my mind began to ruminate — why? Will she ever know how much she touched me? How much she touched all of us? Anna Werner, did so Sunday Morning on CBS, with A Remembrance of Harper Lee. Near the end, she inserted the clip of Ms. Lee receiving an Honorary Degree from the University of Notre Dame. I am comforted. She knew.
• Touchstone 3 — Journey: Sunday morning we headed out on a road trip to Burney Falls in northern California. Doing pre-field research (we actually were in the field with one cellular bar standing at the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail and Burney Falls Loop Trail), we stumble upon a shiny-object-Internet-tidbit that indicated the bridge scene from the movie Stand By Me was filmed at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park . This was so out of the blue (or was it? Eerie Sci-Fi music in the background) we looked up multiple sources to confirm. While the bridge was not in the State Park, it wasn’t more than four miles away from where we were standing. We had to go!
• This is quite possibly one of my all time favorite, favorite, favorite, m&m (multiple meaning) scenes and movies ever, “The Train Scene” in the movie Stand By Me. (Edited by Robert Leighton, Directed by Rob Reiner) And now, serendipitously, I had an opportunity to actually own a piece of my favorite. We found it easily but as with most “actually seeing it in real life” scenarios, it was a let down. What got to me — the real presence of abandonment. In disrepair, train rails removed, decaying railroad ties, cement barricade graffiti and fence complete with bobbed wire, the bridge was all alone and abandoned like Ray Brower’s body the boys had originally set out to experience.

Pause button —

And isn’t that what life really has to ultimately be about? The experience of the journey? My competitive nature has never gotten used to the sobering fact that life is a game we ever win.

Play button —

We took pictures, climbed out on the bridge and made the most of the journey, but the rest of the drive on Hwy 89 toward I-5 was relatively silent. It was about 2pm when we realized we were hungry. McCloud was the best bet before reaching I-5, We Yelped for a restaurant and chose White Mountain Café. It was just the ticket back to a life of distraction and temporary happiness. The best swiss mushroom burger and fries in the whole wide world.

PS. 3:10 pm I tap the post botton