Monthly Archives: October 2009

Yesterday afternoon when I arrived at my daughter’s school in the pouring rain to pick her up, the Principal greeted me warmly and asked if I wanted some movie passes to see the premiere screening of the new film, Where the Wild Things Are. I said, “yes we would!” and she handed me two passes. But I looked at the passes and realizing that I have two children plus myself I asked her if I could impose upon her to ti give us just one more. She said that that’s all she had, and I thanked her and we headed for the car. But after giving it some thought I decided to give the passes back so that she could give it to someone who could use them. I did not want to drop the girls off at the movie theatre alone and then come back for them, and with only two passes for this special event all three of us would not get in. So, we walked back to the office and as I was getting ready to hand the passes back, Ms. Shanklin said, “Oh! I’m so glad you came back. I’v got anothe pass for you.” I breathed a huge sigh of relief and Jordan jumped up with excitement because now we’d be able to go. I thanked her again and we dashed off to pick Leila up from school early.

We missed the red carpet arrivals, but when we arrived it was all still lit up and the press was still there with their cameras. When we got into the theatre I was given a, ‘Guide for Educators and Parents,’ which was a booklet filled with outdoor activities that parents and teachers can engage their children in. The kids got a special program and we all got free drinks with our passes.

Before the screening of the film there were a few speakers. Jeremy Symons, who is the Sr. VP of Conservation and Education for the National Wildlife Federation. They are partnering with the movie’s producers to launch a program called ‘Be Out There,’ which is a campaign to get kids away from their video games and into the great outdoors. Congressman John Sarbanes of Maryland and Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado, both are sponsors of the No Child Left Indoors legislation. The issue is, “The American childhood has moved indoors.” They spoke about the fact that the average American child spends about 44 hours per week staring at a variety of electronic screens indoors. Kids spend less than half the time outdoors that kids did twenty years ago. (back in the day when I was a kid)

Finally, after all of the talking the movie began and it was delightful. Where the Wild Things Are was one of my favorite books when I was a child, and this movie interprets it for the big screen in a really fun way. I will say that my six-year-old girl enjoyed it, but found parts of it a bit scary and she had trouble sleeping last night. Here’s what the passes said about the rating: “The film is rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure and brief language.” But if you loved this book as a child as I did, you will enjoy this movie.

Despite the pouring rain and the chill I’m glad that we went to see the movie. It was fun getting a chance to see it a day before the rest of the world. They did a fabulous job with this beloved book.

I have been a devoted fan of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s since I was a child. I first learned of him in relationship to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. When I learned that Dr. King was greatly influenced by Gandhi’s work in India, I did some research about who he was and I was impressed by the accomplishments of this small, shy, brown man who stood up to the British Empire and won freedom for his people.

When the movie Gandhi came out in 1982, I was a young girl and I remember sitting absolutely transfixed as I watched the horrors of what the people of India endured in trying to win their freedom. Gandhi’s story had a huge impact on me. I took from it the idea that one person can indeed change the world. One of my favorite inspirational quotes, which is now almost a cliche, was his advice that we should seek to, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I took this to mean that I should focus on being the best person that I could be and in so doing change the world. I also took this to mean that if I wanted to see something done I would do what I could to accomplish it.

When I look at the state of our world today I wonder what will come of all of us. Everything is changing so quickly. The old paradigms are crumbling and the new way of doing things is being invented before our eyes. I am an eternal optimist. I believe in the inherent goodness in every human being because we are all instruments of the Divine. It is my prayer today that each of us would take a moment and reflect on the shining example of the potential of the human spirit that Gandhi embodied, and do whatever is in our power to create more freedom for those that we love.