We could all use a little more Point Break
and how waking up one-year sober was not at all what I expected
Which Keanu movie do you want to watch tonight?
~ Me, to my husband, every single night since re-watching Point Break several weeks ago
Hey Friends!
Yeah, I just quoted myself. You knew it would happen, eventually!
Watching movies is, unfortunately, pretty rare in my house this time of year. But, every so often, the weather or some act of God keeps us from working outside until we’re too tired to do anything but sleep. On one such recent night, I skipped past the list of movies I have yet to watch and decided to revisit the 90’s cult classic, Point Break.
The last time I watched Point Break was on VHS (in 2014). Let me tell you, it’s still every bit as good as it was when I first rented it from the independent video store that existed before Blockbuster. Not only is it a work of cinematic brilliance, but Point Break also brings up memories of my tween years, clipping photos of Keanu Reeves and Ethan Hawke from Teen magazines and storing them in a folder I wish I still had. Of course, there was also River Phoenix (RIP).
Can you smell the Lipsmacker?
I don’t know whether it was the nostalgia factor, the movie itself, or simply the fact that I had spent a couple of hours relaxing in my recliner, but the day after we watched Point Break was one of the best I’ve had all year.
One might even say Patrick Swayze’s goldilocks inspired me to lighten up my own tresses…
The point of this story is, if you’re having a bad day, watch Point Break. I’m sure it’ll fix you right up! (If you try this and it works, PLEASE let me know!)
Last Tuesday was my one-year soberversary
Sigh. What I expected to be a celebration of personal achievement turned out to be an intensely emo day of self-reflection. I sat with the feelings of disconnection and boredom that lie beneath the “addictive personality” I grew into.
I also felt pretty angry at myself and the world that I had participated in and suffered from the stigma around substance use and mental health disorders for so many years.
These issues are complex and have a combination of causes. Still, I’m learning that many psychopathological behaviors have less to do with being inherently dysfunctional and more to do with not having access to, or enough of, what we need to thrive.
Case in point, during this Tim Ferris interview with Dennis McKenna (which is 111% worth listening to), Dennis refers to a study where rats prefer socializing to taking highly addictive drugs. (**note: this may not be the actual study he talked about, but it’s still interesting.) I hate to break it to you, friends, but rat brains and human brains are not so different.
Interestingly, I feel more connected now, even quarantining in the sticks, than I did when I lived with multiple roommates and partied five days a week.
Lauren Loves
My dear friend Janani’s sister, Ranjani (who I also consider a friend), used her quarantine time to start an experimental pop duo with her husband, Deepak. They’re called Lil Idli, and their first single, Little Girl, is amazing. Janani’s husband, Sunny, contributed his video editing skills, and I’m so proud of the whole bunch!
You can watch the video here:
Also, 100% of the Little Girl proceeds they collect through Bandcamp sales go to Mutal Aid India to address health care needs in Tamil Nadu. So, if you love good music, supporting independent artists, and contributing to a worthy cause, please consider buying their single, Little Girl, on Bandcamp!
Until next time...
and, if you haven’t already, please get vaccinated