Life in a Day

A good friend of mine gave me her Netflix password last semester after watching a movie called 'Broken English,' a movie she insisted related to her life. It did, undeniably so. She told me to watch it, as in many ways, our perspectives on the world, love, relationships, and time (or lack of it) are very similar. So I watched it. To say that I was touched would be an understatement. I could see myself in the movie. In the characters. So when she suggested a movie, 'Life in a Day', of course I watched it. 'Life in a Day' is a documentary in which people from all around the world film their day on July 24, 2010, from beginning to end. Throughout their day, they answer three questions:

What is in your pocket/purse?
What do you love?
What do you fear?

The movie ends with a woman speaking about how she filmed her entire day, and nothing exciting happened. She speaks of how she is just an average girl, with an average life, who isn't interesting enough to know about. But she wants to be. She doesn't want to 'cease to exist'. After watching the entire documentary, after seeing people from all around the world living their lives so differently from start to finish, something really clicked in my mind. How could this woman think that this day in her life was so dull, when so much happened in the world around her? People died. People gave birth. Babies were born. People fought for their lives. People fought for the lives of the people they love. People fought to survive, to feed their children, to see another day. People got married, renewed vows, eloped. People lost jobs. People worked hard. People achieved a goal. People were injured and people recovered. People prayed. People loved. People lost.

So, I asked myself these three questions. Here are the answers:

Q: What is in your pocket/purse?

A: Pocket: bobbypin, TTC transfer
Purse: driver's license, health card, debit card, credit card, passport, SPC card, Sirens card, Plum Rewards card, phone, taxi receipts, keys to my apartment, a locket, $36.57 Canadian, $13.87 American, three TTC tokens, a pair of heels, portfolio, lip gloss, a letter from my grandparents, camera, Vaseline, two pens (both black), bobbypins, and a hair elastic.

Q: What do you love?

A: I love spending time with the people I love. I love simplicity. I love laughing, with or without people. I love my best friend. I love summer nights on the beach. I love the smell of vanilla, campfires, the country, bubblegum, the mixture of shampoo and body wash in the shower, men, L'Oreal Hairspray, fresh laundry, the saltiness in the air near an ocean, white musk, gasoline, and freshly cut grass. I love my body. I love how animals make me happy instantaneously. I love the comfort of a familiar hug. I love literature, writing, and fine arts. I love trying new things. I love coming home after being away and seeing the room that I grew up in and how it hasn't changed. I love that my friend circle from home has never changed. I love hearing people's stories. I love giving advice. I love that my parents always act like they haven't seen me in months. I love falling asleep to the sound of rain. There are so many more things that I could add to this list I'm sure.. but I'll cut it off here for now.

Q: What do you fear?

A: I'm going to skip over my list of pathetic fears (including dolls, thunderstorms, tight spaces, and open water) and move right into the ones that I don't often vocalize: I fear letting down the people I care most about. I fear hurting the people I love. I fear loneliness. I fear being unable to differentiate myself between my job title and my true self; I fear that other people won't be able to, either. I fear not achieving everything I hope to achieve in order for me to feel successful. I fear losing the people I love the most.

If you are able to watch 'Life in a Day,' do so. It certainly made me realize a few things. If you can't watch it, then perhaps think of the answers to the three questions asked above. Perhaps you'll learn something about yourself.

Satisfy my Soul