I am going to make a sappy confession. Every time I watch Out of Africa and hear that swell of music at the beginning, I start to cry. Every time, no exceptions. This movie holds so much sadness for me and so much hope. The sadness has to do with how we treat the people we say we love, how careless we can be with ourselves, and how sometimes we only realize the most important pieces of our lives after the fact. It can be daunting riding the wave of all the changes life throws at us. Our responsibility is to do the best we can with what we’ve got. This is where the hope comes in.
And then there is the breathtaking scenery, the emerald greens of the expanse of grasslands, the myriads of exotic animals, and the deep trailing purples of mesmerizing sunsets. Somehow in all of this glorious beauty resides that poignant sorrow as well. Maybe that’s because life is fleeting, the joys and ecstasies don’t last, and laughter and a sense of belonging can evaporate. It makes me wonder how often any of us stop to appreciate the many gifts that already flood our lives but remain under the radar. The truth is we don’t have to be somewhere else or do something special to experience the lush beauty of nature or the feeling that at last we’ve come home to the most authentic parts of ourselves.
Fortunately, the answer to the sadness and how to appreciate the life we are currently living is in the movie as well. Karen Blixen uses everything she’s got, leads with her heart, takes enormous risks, and carries a bigger vision of who she is and what she could be. How many of us can say we do the same? Take a minute to think about what your life might look like if you lived what’s inside outside in the world every day.
Of course, we don’t have to own a coffee farm in Africa to experience the deeper layers of our lives that often go unlived. We can start by coming from a feeling of greater love and a sense of adventure rather than letting fear and judgment rule our decisions and our actions. We only have to plant ourselves in the present moment and appreciate the wonders that often go overlooked when we get caught up constantly wishing for what we don’t have or racing towards an ever-elusive goal of more.
Remaining open and being fully present lets us see more clearly what we love, what we dread, and what we long for. From here we can make better decisions about how to move forward and live what matters most. I think of tender and perhaps prickly feelings, the kind that can be hard to reconcile, pointing us to our true north. It’s simple really. Delight in ordinary miracles and move on if you are no longer happy. Be honest and brave enough to find the adventures that are calling to your soul and savor your life to the fullest.
The time for excuses is over.
kb
P.S. I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning that awesome scene where Robert Redford washes Meryl Streep’s hair out in the wilds while reciting poetry. Just another reason to love this movie all the more.
