...but not for the reason that movies normally include scenes. Actually, maybe it is for the reasons senses normally make it into a movie...
Because they build character. And character isn't built in the scenes laying on the beach. Those are the reward scenes that you see after the character has been tested and put through hell. And truly the story that follows isn't "hell" but it is our family just learning to love each other a little more.
Story goes...Saturday night one of my students was singing in the Orchestra downtown and I really wanted to go. I looked to get tickets and they were way out of our budget....especially for 4 of us to go. Disappointed. But decided we would do something fun anyway that was more "festive" so we headed downtown to look at the lights and have a snack. It was cold and there was a family making a huge scene that was really awkward and uncomfortable that we almost stepped in on. Weird. But got back in the car and headed to get a snack. Couldn't decide where to go. I was thinking Cheesecake factory to surprise the boys. Jeremy was thinking pancakes. I was thinking I don't want to spend a fortune we can just get a piece to go. Jeremy was thinking let's go sit down somewhere...spiral down.
He pulls into Village Inn. I hate Village Inn. It's totally overpriced and I always walk out feeling like I paid $40 for eggs. But after having a dialogue in my head about how I was going to make the best of it I didn't say anything. Boys walk in and Jeremy and I follow behind. However, my feeling that this is a bad idea decided to come out of my head and so I said something about how I didn't really want to go here. Frustration from all. So we get back in the car and head to Cheesecake Factory. Jeremy doesn't want to go there because it makes him sick. I don't want to go anywhere "cliche" because I wanted to "do something fun". What's that anyway? Apparently, I didn't even know what I wanted...I just knew what I didn't want and so we left the mall....spiral down.
So we walk into Cheesecake Factory. Look at the bakery and bail. Decide to walk around the mall. Go into a sports store...Micah asks Aidan if he likes the Packer stuff that he holds up...he says no rudely...we walk out of the store...try to counsel Aidan on how to tell people things nicely...he walks faster away...spiral down.
Not the memory I was hoping for.
So we get in the car and call it a night. Go home and sit in the driveway and try to make sense out of this mess we spiraled into. I can't decide what I want. Aidan is still defending himself. Jeremy is frustrated at both of us. And so he turns to Micah, sweet Micah to save the night. And asks Micah what he wants to do and he says Panera. So we start the car and go. Spiral up. That was all it took. That tiny decision. That night turned around from Micah deciding it was more important to him for us to be together and just go to Panera.
How many times do we face spiral decisions each day? A little decision that we think is small but spirals us one direction or another? Because the truth is that was all it took in the beginning to go the wrong direction too. And we have that choice of which way to go with what is thrown at us. Deciding where to go to eat for a snack shouldn't have turned into a huge frustrating night...it was really quite ridiculous. But it did. And yet we had the choice to turn it around. And we did.
That's why I think this scene would have made it into our "Porier Family Life Movie" because it is the story of learning to love each other a little more.
Yep, that would make the cut alright. Thanks Micah. We need you more than you ever know.
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