Andy's Father's Day celebration consisted of hanging out in front of the TV watching a couple of movies. We rented Mystic River and The Missing. I had no idea what "Mystic River" was about until I read the jacket in the store. It was pretty good, although I missed some of the middle of it to run an errand. Andy caught me up and it all made sense in the end (well, actually I didn't get all of it, but I know all that happened in the story.)
"The Missing" was pretty disturbing, as are all violent movies. I'm surprised I watched as much of it as I did because it didn't have a lot going for it in terms of what I enjoy in a movie. I expect I stuck with it mostly because I was playing around with some new craft tools and supplies while watching. There was one exchange that I've been pondering since watching the movie, so I'll mention it. Tommy Lee Jones's character meets the witch/spirit man who tells him, "You have two dogs inside - one good and one bad." The question is posed as to which one is winning. Jones's character replies, "Whichever one I feed the most."
Isn't that like all of our lives? We have a good part and a bad part. They live together inside of us and in each moment we choose which one to feed and let out to play. We stew over negative thoughts about other people or judgments of their character and actions to "feed" the bad part of our selves. Then we let the bad guy out to play by lashing out at those around us. Maybe we feed our bad self by driving aggressively in retaliation of someone who cut us off or by glaring at the person in front of us in line at the grocery store because they can't count their money fast enough. Or maybe we feed our good selves by leaving space in front of our car for someone to change lanes or smiling at the cashier who just faced an irate customer. And isn't it interesting that when we feed our bad self we in turn feed other peoples' bad selves and when we feed our good self we feed other peoples' good selves?
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