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Whilst sitting watching the childhood classic ‘Bugsy Malone’ with my 8 year old (who doesn’t love that guy?) I found myself welling up yet again at a film that during my childhood years would only of fascinated me and made me laugh.
I got through the whole film without little more than a “I really wanted one of those cars!” but then the end scene hit me. Yes, I realise splurge guns aren’t usually an object associated with a tearjerker but it was when the ‘splat’ sound effects stopped and the gentle tinkling of the ivory’s started that my tear ducts activated.
A busy, loud scene stops and then the lyrics start ‘We could have been anything that we wanted to be, and it’s not too late to change’ *lump in throat swells*
‘We could have been anything that we wanted to be Yes, that decision is ours It’s been decided We’re weaker divided Let friendship double up our powers’
*enter tears and strange looks from my daughter*
As a child I don’t think I had ever took the time or had the inclination to actually listen to the words,or the meaning behind them, in the song I was listening too but as an adult it really hit home to me what a wonderful message the song delivers.
I have been thinking a lot since watching the film about how we spend so much of our time comparing ourselves to others, even subconsciously through the medium of Facebook and the such like. We look through virtual ‘friends’ photos and status updates and pass comment; and if we’re honest, judgement on their lives.
The thing is, the REAL thing is, that as much as we do that to others many of us end up doing it even more so to ourselves. So many of us look at a photo of ourselves for example and start analysing it, tearing ourselves apart limb by limb, feature by feature and it upsets me more than I have the words to articulate.
I strongly believe that we all need to actively try to love ourselves that bit more; in the here and now, as we are, attempt to be our own biggest supporters NOT critic. I don’t make that statement lightly, I understand it’s easier to type than do but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. The very real truth is that when we start to love and accept, heck, even enjoy, our lives and ourselves, as we are, we are then much better equipped to support others without judgement.
On my Instagram there is a wonderful community of people who actively try to boost each other, lift them up through positivity, prayers or both and it would just be so wonderful if we all felt able to do the same out in the real world. It’s easy enough to say but harder to actually mean and I think that’s where we have to actively TRY to mean it. Change our thought patterns to go from negative to positive, feel genuinely happy for somebody who just went on that amazing holiday or got an awesome promotion; after all you never know how hard that person has worked to get there or what kind of week they have had behind closed doors.
The world is a busy, noisy place these days but taking some time for yourself to enjoy some peace and quiet to just ‘be’ if only for 10 minutes, can really help us in our self-love journey; I mean how on earth can we fall in love with somebody we never spend time with?
‘Who can even guess how much A real friend is worth? Good guys shake an open hand Maybe we’ll be trusting If we try to understand No doubt about it It must be worthwhile Good friends to tend to make you smile’
The bottom line is we ARE weaker divided, we CAN be anything that we want to be, the decision really is ours and even better is that if you give a little love it really does all come back to you….lalala la la la la!