All Things Chill

I’ve never put much stock into what family really means. But with all of the Thanksgiving holiday spirit, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I couldn’t really express how I felt… and for once, I didn’t have anything to say. By an unusual coincidence, I found them those words in an unlikely place this morning. I found them in Garden State.

Large: You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn’t really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone.
Sam: I still feel at home in my house.
Large: You’ll see when you move out it just sort of happens one day one day and it’s just gone. And you can never get it back. It’s like you get homesick for a place that doesn’t exist. I mean it’s like this rite of passage, you know. You won’t have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for you kids, for the family you start, it’s like a cycle or something. I miss the idea of it. Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place.

Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place.

God. When I heard that, my body went limp as I sank deeper into my chair. I immediately held back the rush of emotions and tried not to break down in tears. What a way to explain it. Shit happens, relationships change and your views on people become tainted. Fights break out, verbal daggers are thrown and things are said without any consideration of how those words will be viewed tomorrow. It’s inevitable. But what keeps things… working?

Sometimes, the idea of that “imaginary place” is the only thing that keep basic connections… connected. It’s not only about family, it’s a universal truth for all relationships. How many times have couples broken up only to get back together the next week? How many times have friends reconciled their differences because of precedence? How many times has infidelity all but destroyed a marriage, but somehow things work out? It’s not only about history and what was in the past. It’s something so much more than that. It’s comfort. It’s safety. It’s a warm blanket. It’s the positive outlook of an old world. It’s the you… that was happy.

Garden State was a beautiful movie. It’s a ray of light to those that feel numb to everything around them. I guess I didn’t give it a chance the first time I watched it. I couldn’t get enough of its wide angles and magical-yet-ordinary locations. Zach Braff did an amazing job for a first crack as director. Natalie Portman did a great job too. Her character was just as important as Zach’s character and put a soft, innocent edge to the movie. I especially loved the slow guitar remake of The Postal Service’s Such Great Heights. Completely worth a spot in your DVD collection. Thanks Jacs, you were 100% right about the movie. Amazon link. Trailer can be found here.

I hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving today had a wonderful evening sharing the love. I’d like to thank Mark for hosting a wonderful dinner. And for those of you travelling this weekend, have a safe trip back home.

Maybe that’s all family really is. Maybe.

Goodnight,

~Herschell

This entry was posted on Friday, November 25th, 2005 at 1:46 am and is filed under Flicks, Streaming Conciousness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.