If I could be accused of anything in life, it’s being consistent. For the longest time, I tended to listen to the same type of music, eat the same foods, watch the same movies, and read the same kinds of books.
Predictable. Formulaic. There are a lot of words for it. My personality sure wasn’t boring, but variety was not the spice of my life.
For a year, I went out of my way to break out and find some spice. Went to dozens of live concerts, listening to new types of music. Tried foods I had never heard of. Experienced more of what the world had to offer.
Then all of our worlds became much smaller recently. Quite small indeed.
That might feel restrictive to some. For me, it was like going home. I embraced my old favorites. Reread books. Launched old playlists. And started watching my favorite movies. Over and over and over.
The Challenge
Just as we were starting to lock down, the latest Star Wars movie was released on digital. I immediately purchased it and posed a question to my social circle…how many times do you think I’ll end up watching Episodes IV-IX during the shelter-in-place.
The Star Wars Challenge was born…100 Star Wars movies back to back.
For weeks, I watched the movies on repeat every evening and weekend. If I wasn’t working, I had them going in the background.
I have seen the movies so many times over the years. While I expected to be entertained by the movies, and jazzed by the challenge, I didn’t really expect to learn anything. Never underestimate a droid. Or Star Wars.
There’s always something new
My favorite Star Wars movie will always be the original. I must have seen that movie at least a few hundred times by now.
I don’t even have to listen to the dialog. If I have it muted while I work, I can look up and know every word. If I have the volume up and I’m in another room, I know the exact scene.
You would think, as I did, that I know the movie so well that I couldn’t be surprised anymore. Well, as I watched the movie on repeat, I started seeing new things I had never noticed before.
The one that stood out most was Darth Vader. He’s my favorite villain of all time, so I tend to pay attention. Or so I thought. After watching a few times, I noticed I could see through the mask to the eyes behind it in just the right light. I never saw that before.
We are never quite as observant as we think we are. We can see the same scene or person…doesn’t matter what or who…and always find something new.
The key is to look and look again. Pay attention. Notice. Keep looking. Just when you think you know someone, really watch.
I think we get comfortable and stop looking. Never stop. Everything around us has the potential to offer a new surprise.
There is comfort in the known
After seeing some of these movies hundreds of times over the last 40 years, you would think I’d get bored watching them over and over again.
But I didn’t.
It is not new that we can find comfort in known people, music, movies, etc. What I did not expect was the comfort in the repetition. I didn’t have to consider what I would watch. I knew, following a pattern over and over, day after day.
During this time of uncertainty, doing something on repeat – something I could control – provided calm and reassurance.
In times of chaos, repeating the same recipes, songs, books, or movies may ease the discomfort inside us. Allow us to control what we can, the best we can.
We can acquire new tastes
For many of us, we like what we like and know immediately when we don’t like something.
If you know Star Wars, or are a fan, maybe you’ve heard the drama over the years about the prequels, and now the sequels. I’m of an age that the originals will always be my favorites, we don’t discuss the prequels, and I am a mix of fangirl and angst at each new movie.
Before the challenge, I’d tend to watch a few of the movies repeatedly and skip the rest. I had my favorites. Like anything in life, there were those I preferred, those I tolerated, and those I really disliked.
After watching the 8th or 9th circuit, I found myself smiling and really enjoying a few of them that I normally tolerated. I was surprised to find myself embracing them more, the more times I watched them.
Our experiences and tastes change over time. We can open ourselves up to the new, or even rediscover something old in a new way. Just because something wasn’t a favorite the first time, doesn’t mean it can’t become a go-to once we put it on repeat.
Repetition doesn’t have to be boring
I’m not suggesting that everyone put their favorite movie on and watch it 100 times. However, if you find yourself unsettled, looking for something calming and reassuring, the known can be both a comfort and a surprise.
I’ve been walking the same loops around my neighborhood day after day. I still find new things to notice that I can’t believe I didn’t see the 20 times prior. There’s a dog-eared book that I’ve had for 20 years. On nights when I feel unsettled, it’s the first one I reach for. And I still find something new between those pages.
Whether it’s in a relationship, your neighborhood, bookcase, or movie collection, there may be new treasures to be found among the familiar. During this time of uncertainty, may they bring a welcome surprise.
