The Inspiring Bee

photo via imdb

For all of you who haven’t yet watched Sex and the City 2, avert your eyes or maybe save your money and don’t watch it. I’m not a SATC hater, really I’m not. In fact, I’ve watched each episode at least 10 times (no joke!).

But alas, this is not a movie review. I’m more of a book review kinda gal. But there was something inspiring about the movie and I thought I’d share it here.

Four young single New Yorkers once strutted their stuff. These four women are not so young anymore and the majority are not even single. But what they teach us in their older age is something I think needs to be discussed.

So the glamour fades (fashion still reigns) and four hot women with once exciting lives begin to start settling in and the drama now exists only when created by them in their relationships.

There’s an important lesson here.

Life is sometimes boring. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find the “sparkle,” the inspiration, the magic. Sometimes the mundaneness not just in your relationships eats at you. And if left there will eventually rot.

Here’s what I know:

1. It’s okay for life to not always feel super exciting. In fact, if our lives were like the movies we’d have a heart attack at an early age from all that stress. Eventually age brings a certain amount of normalcy and that’s a good thing.
2. Yet, you shouldn’t let normalcy mean stagnation. There’s a big difference between happiness, comfort and safety and sitting on a couch wasting your life away. If you’ve felt bored for several days/weeks/months even years in a row, then maybe you’re avoiding something. Fear could be holding you back from your dreams. Even my rabbit gets bored and when he gets bored, he gets destructive. You might be unconsciously self-destructing through food, TV or other mindless activities as a way to numb yourself. In that case, being aware may mean seeking therapy.
3. Imperfection does not mean termination. Carrie could have sabotaged her relationship with Mr. Big (actually I’m an Aidan fan so I wouldn’t have minded it), because of her fear that their relationship after 2 years of marriage was getting too comfortable. Sometimes when things don’t seem perfect since real life is a lot more messier, unglamorous and flawed than on the movies, we automatically assume that imperfection means the end. What happens when we think that? We do things to sabotage our relationships and our lifelong goals.
4. There’s nothing wrong with you. Life is about choices. You make some good ones. You make some not so good ones. You live. You learn. Sometimes you think it’s you, but it’s really the situation you’re in. Give yourself a break and be open to the possibility that there really is nothing wrong with you.

While SATC 2 left this fan something to be desired, there were a few gems in the movie. There was something less glamorous in this one and maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe it’s time we all got real with how unglamorous, yet gloriously messy real life can be.