We watched Hope Floats again recently. It’s funny when I watch that show, there’s always something that seems meaningful that I haven’t remembered or didn’t notice in the previous times I’ve watched it.
This part caught my attention:
You’re talking about the American dream.
You find something that you love
and then you twist it and you torture it.
Try to find a way to make money at it.
Spend a lifetime doing that.
At the end, you can’t find a trace
of what you started out loving.
What did you start out loving?
I asked Vince “What did you start out loving?”
- Working construction in the family business
- Spending summers at the family’s home at Saratoga Lake
- Family get togethers every Sunday
We talked about it . . he didn’t end up staying in the family business, we live nowhere near a lake and he isn’t close to any of his family now.
When I was a kid and into my teen years, I always said I was going to move to my grandparents’ farm when I grew up. I wanted to live on a little land (they had 80 acres as I recall); I wanted chickens, I wanted a big garden like they had. My sister always said when she grew up, she was moving to Houston. She wanted to live in a big city. She doesn’t live in Houston, she doesn’t live too far from a city and she goes often and enjoys city amenities. We are/were so different.
When Vince and I were dating, he once asked me if I was “high maintenance”. I told him I required three things: Indoor plumbing, a dependable vehicle and air conditioning. I guess besides food and water, that really is about all I expect and he’s never let me down yet, though he comes close with some of our vehicles. Also, before we got married, I told him I wanted some day to live on 40 acres and have chickens. He agreed but I think he never expected it to happen and some days, I think he wishes it hadn’t happened.
I’m pretty much doing what I started out loving. It wasn’t always so. There was a time when dressing up and going to social events and having a fancy house and entertaining was what I thought made me happy. I’m glad I’ve come back to what I started out loving and I’m glad that I heard and paid attention to that part of the movie.
Sometimes I think we don’t even know or remember what we started out loving. I’m there and life is good!
Carolyn says
Thanks for this post. It does make a person think about our expectations for life. It’s actually something I have been asking myself for several days now. I have been treading water way too long and it’s time to decide what I want for the remainder of my life. Maybe I need to watch Hope Floats before my ship sinks.
Chris says
I love Hope Floats and that’s one of my favorite parts. It’s true, and good to remember. I especially like the dancing scene to the Garth Brooks song. Don’t know how many times I’ve watched that movie and I think another watch is coming up.