"Eat the Sun"

Director: Peter Sorcher

     I just finished watching a cleverly told story about the ancient and modern day practice of sun gazing. Yes. I said sun-gazing.

     In the midst of our modern culture that almost has you running in fear of the sun's rays, there's a growing group of people that not only absorb the sun, but they stare into in order to receive raw energy. As described in the film, they do this much like a plant would absorb sunlight to convert it to energy (Photosynthesis. Aw yeah. Elementary science in effect! I knew I would need it one day).

     Many of these folks claim to stop eating because the energy that they receive from the sun far outweighs the energy of food. And in addition to increased energy levels many of these sun-gazers claim to experience a spiritual awakening of sorts.

     There are quite an array of characters in this documentary, but we mostly follow the journey of Mason, who is exploring this world of sun-gazing and trying to reach the goal of 44 minutes of solid sun-gazing. There are other themes at play in the documentary that keep the attention of the audience as well as some interesting tension that plays out as well.

     So if you're feeling Super Indie Fresh this week, I recommend you check this documentary out.

Wisdom's Knocking: 

"I've always shied away conventional wisdom, though I know the power of it." -Peter Jennings

Vous

     Photographer: Milo Ventimiglia

     Remember my post, "Once Upon a Surprise"? I was on the high of sweet infatuation, but as promised, I wanted to give you an update. This is the update: There is none.

     I've been trying to do my part in waiting to be pursued. First step, would this fool be motivated enough to find me on Facebook and add me? Current conclusion: No.

     And particularly this weekend, I was remembering another previous post I wrote, "Mixed Signals = No Signal". Yes. Le sigh.

     Nevertheless, I still value this person and he will now rest in the infamous land of friendship. It takes a lot of hard work for a man to escape from this friendship land once placed there by my doing. But as previously proven, I'm quite blessed when it comes to my guy friendships. So in essence, I may be losing a prospective boo, but I am gaining a rich and meaningful friendship without unnecessary dysfunction.

     What did I find so magical about this particular guy I wrote about a couple weeks back? Many things, his heart, his focus, his calm demeanor, his swag, but especially his ability to speak French...

Wisdom's Knocking:

"These are hard times for dreamers." - from the film, Amélie

May-December

     So yeah. I'm a little late to the party. But in the last few days, I recently caught up on all my entertainment news from this past summer. One piece of news that stood out to me in particular was the marriage of 16 year-old Courtney Stodden to 51 year old, Lost actor, Doug Hutchison.

     Here's a video clip of their story:

      And if you don't have time to watch the video, here's a synopsis:

Lost's Doug Hutchison and his wife Courtney Stoddenfaced a great deal of criticism for their marriage in May. Hutchison, 51, is 35 years older than his 16-year-old wife.

The Green Mile star met Stodden, an aspiring actress and pop singer, when she signed up for his acting workshop online. After a 4-month courtship over the internet, Hutchison learned that the attractive blonde he'd been flirting with was still just a teenager.

"My world turned upside down," he admitted in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America. "[Online communication] is a really unique and beautiful way to get to know someone," he gushed. "We didn't have the distraction of the physical."

Stoddard's mother monitored her daughter's exchanges with the actor, and was "fully aware" of their staggering age difference.

"I said [that] if you and [Courtney's father] have any misgivings whatsoever about this, if you are uncomfortable with it, I will respect you, and Courtney will respect you, and we will step back," Hutchison said.

Stodden's mother and father trusted their daughter's judgment and ultimately gave parental consent for her to marry her much-older beau. It was actually Stodden's mom who first suggested the duo get married in a state that would allow it.

So how did the 51-year-old's relationship with an underage girl not break any laws? Up until their marriage, they were never physically intimate.

"I was a virgin," Stodden said. "I knew that if I kept that, I would be blessed with a beautiful gift. And God did! He blessed me with my soulmate."

But not everyone is okay with this May-December romance. Hutchison's agent and manager dropped him, and his own mother cut ties with him. "We knew this was gonna happen," he said. "We knew we were gonna have to weather the repercussions of our decision and our union. This is just the beginning. It brought us closer together."

CREDIT: USMAGAZINE.COM

     Um. So yeah. What are your thoughts on all this? Whether it's a publicity stunt or not...What's an appropriate age limit for May-December romances?

     I myself find that age does effect the way in which I am able to relate to folks. I mean, I get sad when I tell one of my teenagers about Fraggle Rock and Jem and they have no clue as to what the heck I'm talking about.

     What's my age cap for considering romance with someone? For me, no more than 10 years older, and no more than 5 years younger. 

Wisdom's Knocking:

While age may be a number, life experience sure does count for something.

Friends on the Way

     Following the path of good is not always easy. In fact, it's often called the "Narrow Road". Or an even better interpretation: "The Agonizing Road". But oddly enough, this is the road that is meant to lead to Life.

     So cray cray.

     But what does it look like when someone's reached a milestone on such a road. I think it looks a little something like my friend, David.

     He's beginning to see the beautiful fruit of the many small Yes's he made to stay on the Narrow Road from his early teen years. He's now in his early 30s and stands with such integrity and blessing. One would almost be tempted to think that he had been born in such a way, but instead, he shared his secret this morning to a group of teenagers and myself that it was his intentional choices to be a man of integrity, a man of his word, a man who would always value his wife and family, a man that would choose to pursue God. It was simply the little Yes's along the way that opened the gateway of sustainable blessing in his life now.

     We want the quick fix now. We want the reward now. But the challenge is, can you do good now in the little things before being influenced by the weightier matters?

     It's amazing how God and His love can change a life forever. There's nothing left to prove, there's complete peace, such pure love, and of course the Narrow Road. Which in essence leads us to more of what we've truly needed and desired our whole lives. But it is still Narrow and there are choices to be made along the way. What we give our little Yes's to will continue to shape our entire life's course.

Wisdom's Knocking:

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."--L. Tzu

Lola & "The Help"

     

     Finally saw The Help yesterday with my mom. And I knew before going into the theater that I would be affected by the story and the weightiness that it carried. Perhaps that's why I put off seeing it on opening day.

     My grandmother, Lola, (Otherwise known as "Jenny Mae") passed away in 2002. She came from Mississippi to Upstate New York as a young woman and worked a many job. One being that of "The Help". So you can imagine how my mother and I were affected by the storyline.

     Not only was this film superbly directed, written, and acted out (Viola Davis, you are a dream!), but the heart and truth behind the story completely resonated with my mom and I.

     I've caught a few blogs here and there from young Black women who were hesitant, like I, to see this film. But instead of bracing for heaviness of the subject matter, they seemed to want to avoid it altogether..."Haven't we moved on from the Civil Rights Era?" They proclaim. Or, "Why must I see a film where black women are only maids and servants?"

     True, it is unfortunate that strong roles for Black Americans are far and few between. But regarding this particular story: This current generation needed to know. They need to see.

     With the subject of History being pushed down the totem pole of importance and seen as completely relative. It's very sobering to be reminded of truth and of real events that took place not that long ago.

     And once again, I appreciate with awe and strength the shoulders of whom I now stand on.

Wisdom's Knocking:

If you don't know where you've been, you won't know where you're going...