Mike was updating the Netflix queue with films to watch that would put us in the Autumn spirit. We're in such a tropical location that we find ourselves missing certain rights of fall passage. We even miss football, a sport we don't watch on our own, but with friends every weekend during the fall.
"What movie reminds you of fall?" he asked me while I read.
"Dead Poets Society," I answered without pausing. My response caused me to look up from my book and wonder at myself. He had been adding scary movies to his queue and I knew that he was looking specifically for Halloween-spirited films. If he had asked me what movie reminded me of Halloween I might have responded differently, but for some reason he used the word "fall". That word happens to be on of the exact tags I have put on my memory-box which holds Dead Poets Society.
In college I always watched it at the beginning of the fall semester (and at the end of the spring I would watch Reality Bites). The film is about being dissatisfied with the status quo and living (fighting) for what we love and find beautiful. As a student I never grew tired of re-learning this lesson. I walked back into my classrooms each fall with a genuinely renewed sense of passion for poetry.
It was easy, though, with the professors I had. Dr. Summerlin once said that she believed the English department was the heart of the campus, and by heart she meant "life-source". Without them there would have been no dancing to "Let's Get It On" on campus property! The dean of students was ready to expell any number of us, but we were vouched for. The dean knew who to blame, and he knew he couldn't.
Mike watched the film last night for the first time. The private school reminded him some of his college experience. He was reminded of all the science and military life that essentially encouraged status-quo. Of course, there is a scale of excellence and success in the status quo, but not for one who marches to the beat of his own drummer. The thing with him, is his Drummer is real persistent scoundrel and no matter what attempts have been made to shut him up he keeps pounding his unique beat and Mike keeps wandering off on his own.
This is where I met him, while he was marching to the beat of this Drummer. It's the most tenacious percusionist I've met, and Mike watched last night's movie and embraced his drummer. We don't want to get by; we want to suck the marrow.
We want to live deliberately. Love deliberately. Parent deliberately. Even if mistakes are made we made them with conviction.
No comments:
Post a Comment