isn't it remarkable when you come across certain movies or records or old soul songs or pages in a library book at just the right moment? i hadn't felt quite like myself for a few days and couldn't seem to shake certain anxieties. this weekend i happened to watch a fantastic movie, hannah and her sisters, for the first time.
woody allen plays television writer mickey sachs, who falls into the throes of an existential crisis after a medical scare. in a particularly moving scene, mickey finds himself at his wit's end. he frantically paces around the upper west side for hours, before slipping into a movie theatre to collect his thoughts. serendipitously, the film on screen is an old favorite, duck soup. he's instantly charmed by the carefree chaos before him, calms down, and notes:
"geez, i should stop ruining my life searching for answers i'm never going to get and just enjoy it while it lasts. and you know, after .. who knows? maybe there is something, nobody really knows. i know that maybe is a very slim reed to hang your whole life on, but that's the best we have. and then i started to sit back and i actually began to enjoy myself."
(see also: somewhere i have never travelled)
