there is a scene in one of my favorite movies, ‘you”ve got mail’, that, when i see it, i think to myself, “i want that to be part of my life”. i’ve looked all over the internet for a photo of that exact moment in the scene to share with you, but i can’t find it anywhere. so, bear with me as i share a photo of just after my favorite little moment + describe this short snippet…
photo from here
meg ryan plays a free-spirited, live from her heart, children’s bookshop owner named kathleen kelly whose business is closed down by the money-hungry, big business tycoon joe fox, played by tom hanks. seriously. a tom hanks/meg ryan movie. sooooo good. they are just magic together. anyway, in this scene near the end of the movie, kathleen has lost her store and is faced with reinventing her life. she is spending some of the newly acquired free time sitting at a window counter, sipping coffee, reading a book. all alone. just enjoying a quiet moment in busy new york city. soon, joe fox (spoiler!: they are now friends) appears outside the window, waving, and goes in to join her. that’s it. just a short, non-important scene in the movie. but, one that has stuck with me.
it’s such a typical nyc city scene, i think. and ever since i first saw that scene, crazy as it may sound, i found myself wanting to be her in that moment. alone. with my book + a cup of coffee. in the middle of the city. reading in the middle of whatever day it was. with a friend suddenly popping up to join me.
today, i found myself doing just that. and, it wasn’t until i was in the middle of the moment myself, that i realized that i was living out that silly little scene from one of my favorite movies.
now, is this something that is petty + tiny +and really unimportant in the grand scheme of things? why, of course it is. i mean, c’mon, it’s me dreaming of living out something that happens in hollywood. something that wasn’t even real to begin with. it’s, as i’ve said… silly.
or is it? there is a part of me that thinks it’s not unimportant. of course, there are more important things than me finding the time to recreate a scene from a favorite movie. but, at the same time, this moment that i lived out in reality reminded me that movies make us dream + wish, and that’s a good thing. as long as we don’t go too far or get obsessed or forget to be grateful for what we have in our lives already. but, this was such a simple snippet of a movie, and i haven’t spent my life thinking about it, pining away for the moment i could be like meg ryan in ‘you’ve got mail’. this moment just happened. and it made me chuckle to myself and then give thanks for the crazy life that i live.
here’s how it happened: today, when my love went off to fika with a friend, i decided to have my own little fika, but i had no idea where i would go. suddenly i saw a little cafe that was new – it wasn’t here when we lived here before, and i decided to go in. as i passed by its windows, i noticed a little window counter with some stools and decided i’d grab my coffee and plop myself down there to read and watch people. so, i ordered a blueberry muffin and a french coffee press, and made my way to this cozy space. it was not until i had cracked open the book, eaten my muffin, and drank half of my coffee, that i realized that i was leaning over, devouring the words on the page, resting my head on my hand, and completely enjoying this simple solitary moment in the middle of the day. however, i still had not even thought about the movie. just then, i looked up and saw a dear friend/family member appear outside the window, waving at me. he came in, walked over to me, we embraced, and then he joined me for a bit.
when he had gone, i turned back to my book and my mind drifted to the the movie… i’d just lived out that favorite scene of mine! which, in itself is no big deal, but in the scheme of dreaming dreams about life and creating the kind of life that you want, it is a damn big deal.
so, with a quirky little grin on my face, i gazed out the window at the people passing by, took another sip of coffee, and turned back to the words on the page on the counter. here i was, an expat living in sweden, once again. creating the life that i had dreamed of, and giving thanks for all of the simple little things that make my life what it is.
I don’t think I’ve watched You Got Mail – I’ll look out for it now!
Very simple but sweet moment!
It’s just a cute little chick flick. But it’s got those NYC vibes that I know we both love. 🙂
Oh that’s just lovely!
Liz, I loved this post because you really capture what it’s like to have that moment of recognition – when you see something that isn’t just inspiring or interesting, but something that speaks to your soul, something that shows you a picture of the person you want to be. These all too occasional flashes of recognition are so important in my opinion not just because it’s our unconscious talking to us and guiding us towards living the life we’re meant to live but also because when the moment comes when we are acting out these moments in real life, fulfilling our destinies, we will Know that we are on our path. These moments of certainty are a renewal of our faith in ourselves and our capacity to act according to our purpose – and are thus invaluable.
I also wanted to let you know that this is a part of what I mean when I’ve said in that past that your blog is inspiring; from when I first started reading your blog over three years ago I recognized the genuine life you were living, recognized your capacity to care, to struggle for better, to question above all else and I thought, “Yes! This is how I want to live. To be free and genuine and to question.” And though I haven’t made it anywhere near Sweden on my trip nor do I plan on spending any length of time in places that are similar to the snowy streets there, I had a few moments of recognition on this trip when I realized that I had grown into the person I wanted to become and that many of the qualities I recognized in you I could now see in myself. So thank you for writing about your struggles and your questions and your triumphs; I am sure I am not the only person you’ve touched.
Much love to you. xoxo
Oh the overwhelmed, humble feelings that you have stirred in me, Meghan. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing and for letting my know that the things that I have written over the years have affected you. Truly the best honor that I can receive.
I am so grateful for your journey, and the fact that you have shared your thoughts with me here. Here’s to journeying on, always striving and becoming who we are created to be – and to embracing life!
Much love to you, too. (Please come visit me in Sweden!) xoxo