Adding light to the world.

There's a saying, "To find a prince, you have to kiss a lot of frogs!" Well, sometimes, that's the way I feel about movies. I've watched some real "frogs" lately that I wouldn't recommend (even if edited) because the overall story or theme is horrible and add darkness to the world. There are many wonderful movies out there, though, films that uplift, inspire, and add light to the world.

I want to add light to the world.

Image from storyblocks.com

So... I decided to participate in #LightTheWorld from December 1 to December 25, giving service to others in 25 ways, over 25 days. Hand in hand with that, I will post about movies fitting with each particular day's focus, movies of compassion, charity, mercy, forgiveness...

Already, just by planning the acts of service I can do over the next 25 days, along with the movies I can highlight, my outlook has brightened.

Used Car Shopping

Friday: Comic Relief

We are back to used car shopping since our vehicle was the victim of a drive-by collision. Husband was stopped at a red light when two cars collided in the intersection. The impact pushed those vehicles into the front end of ours. The cost of repairs would be more than our old car's value, so the insurance totaled it. *sigh* 

Here's what I wrote in April 2013 (Comic Relief: Car Sales). I am posting it again since it still applies:

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Used car shopping saps the life out of me. We need a second car and it seems like every "free" moment gets sucked into talking about cars, researching Consumer Reports, and going to auto dealerships. Aaaagh. So for today's Comic Relief I found two clips about a car salesman (Robin Williams) from the movie Cadillac Man (1990).

I've never seen the film, and have no idea what it's about, but I like these clips. The first one ("Sale at a Funeral") represents the sleezy side of a car salesman. The second clip ("Wheeling and Dealing") shows his view of car shoppers. Uh... I'm the indecisive one who can't commit.

The Car Salesman:

The Car Shopper:

I asked my husband what we will spend our time talking about when we aren't talking cars. "Vacation," he responded. I need to get out of the "I dunno" stage, quick!

I love to laugh.

Friday: Comic Relief

I recently read two books by Dick Van Dyke (listed below) and shared a quote in Monday's post. I enjoy his humor and appreciate his work. The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of my favorites of all time.

Early in his career, Dick decided to never be a part of a project he couldn't watch with the kids. I wish more actors and comedians would hold to that standard.

Dick tells about how Walt Disney "read an interview in which I stated my intention to stick to family movies. He liked that. He thought it made me perfect for his type of Disney movies -- and specifically for the one he was about to start working on, Mary Poppins." 

And thus he became Bert the chimney sweep.

I love to laugh, so, not surprisingly, this is one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

Mary Poppins (1964), I Love to Laugh 

The books I read by Dick Van Dyke:
Keep Moving - and Other Tips and Truths About Aging
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

Lack of perfection.

Monday: Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes

In his book My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, Dick Van Dyke shares what helped him land the role of Rob Petrie:

Over the years, I have heard and read about other actors they considered, including Johnny Carson. I have also heard and read various accounts of why they liked me. My favorites? I wasn't too good-looking, I walked a little funny, and I was basically kind of average and ordinary.

I guess my lack of perfection turned out to be a winning hand. Let that be a lesson for future generations. 

 And let that be a lesson for me. Success does not require perfection.