October Contemplation: Self-care is Not Selfish
Monthly Post #2: “Dramedy Adds to Self-care Month“
I watched a great dramedy this past week. These movies are my favorite, the ones that capture life’s bitter truth, but generously sprinkle it with humor. This was the second time I watched this movie, but when weekend plans fell through, I decided to continue my self-care month and lose myself in the Calendar Girls story once again. This movie ranks up there with Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias as one of my all-time favorites, only it’s not as chicky flicky. I think men will appreciate Calendar Girls too.
If you haven’t yet seen this movie, I promise I won’t give away the whole plot. Just know there’s death, parenting and marital struggles, “yoga” high on a hill, supermen and stupid men, shallow women, and midlife moxie women.
And beautiful, delightful sunflowers.
I especially appreciated this last part after just planting sunflowers to help transition into fall. My brother, who passed away in September 2018, loved sunflowers, so I sent my sunflower photo to my sister-in-law and recommended she watch Calendar Girls too.
One of my favorite parts in the movie is the following speech by John Clarke, a main character:
“The flowers of Yorkshire are like the women of Yorkshire. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty. But the last phase is always the most glorious. Then, very quickly, they all go to seed. Which makes it ironic my favorite flower isn’t indigenous to the British Isles, let alone Yorkshire. I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that trumpets life more than the sunflower. For me, that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun. Because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Sew the seeds on the hill and you’ll see that wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. Which is such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.”
If you haven’t yet seen Calendar Girls, I highly recommend it; and then for some additional self-care this month, go plant some sunflowers and follow your light.
I saw the movie when it came out at the theater and LOVED it!! Went with several women I knew from church in Pineville LA and I remember us all saying “wow… we want to be women like THAT one day!” Well, here we are. Some of those gals I watched the movie with have gone on to Glory. The rest of us have watched helplessly as our body parts have spread east and west or just slowly gone south. But who cares!! We are Sally O’Malley’s and we can kick. 😉
Thanks for reminder and it’s on my watch list again for this weekend!
I would love to watch that movie with you. I’m glad you’re watching it again this weekend. I think it’s such an empowerment movie, and even though there are sad parts, there are so many more funny parts. So good to hear from you my Sally O’Malley friend.