Into the Wild/Personal Journey

A few weeks ago my husband and I went to see the movie, "Into the Wild." It was awesome. We both loved it. Emile Hersch should win an Oscar--he's got my vote right now.

It's an adaptation of a John Krakauer novel by the same name based on the true story of a twenty-two year old kid who gives away his trust fund to charity and begins a personal odyssey, a journey, that takes him into the wilds of Alaska.

Some people have called him a stupid kid, others have called him a hero. My opinion: an idealist. What really struck me about this kid (Christopher McCandless) was the impact he had on everyone around him. It wasn't just his journey. He meets a series of people along the way and every one of them is changed from knowing him. He had one of those magnetic personalities--people were drawn to him. The irony, of course, is that he was drawn to solitude. To living in the wild by himself. To seeing if he could survive on his own.

It was funny timing when we saw the movie, because earlier that day we'd watched an episode of Oprah with the author of "Eat, Pray, Love," the New York Times bestseller about a woman who goes to Italy, India, and Bali to find herself (hope I remembered those right).

Sometimes, when I'm frustrated with the demands and responsibilities of every day life, I can really understand the call to go on a quest. To get rid of all the "noise" and try to find what is truly important. Sometimes I think I'm so busy, so bogged down in life and being a mom, that I've forgotten who I am and what's important to me. I went straight from college into lawschool, then right into getting married. I never really had any down time. Sometimes I wish I'd taken a year off and backpacked around Europe or lived in Tahoe. Maybe that's why I like traveling so much now.

I highly recommend this movie and hope that some of you will get a chance to see it. If the story doesn't grab you the beautiful scenery will. I've already bought the soundtrack--it's fantastic--Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. The You Tube Video will give you sense of all three.



What about you . . . did you ever do anything to "find yourself?" Ever thought about it? Ever wished you could get away for a while and get back to nature?