Benjamin Button Could Change Your Life

Just saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with my girlfriend and I must say that it’s one of my favorite movies and one of the best I’ve ever seen. It didn’t win any Golden Globes and I’m not sure why.

I could talk about the details of the movie and how great the acting was but that’s not why it’s one of my favorites. The movie made me think about my family and all of my loved ones. I thought about the people who affect our lives and what they mean to us, or what we mean to them. Who have we impacted and why? What would people say about you? I specifically thought about my parents and how they’re aging. They’re not really old (my dad will be 55 this year, while my mom is 52) but it’s not often when you think about your parents growing older. You just see them as mom and dad. Thinking about this made me tear up.

In the movie, Benjamin sees many loved ones pass away and has many people who leave and come back into his life. This is truly how life is. There are people who affect our lives greatly but we, somehow, won’t even remember the most important things about them. Like the woman who taught Benjamin how to play the piano. He couldn’t even remember her name, but he knew she had impacted his life. I can relate to this.

Benjamin met many interesting characters throughout his life. Some were comical, some more serious, some made him who he was. Think about those people in your life. Tell them how much they mean to you. These are the people you’ll never forget. They provide experiences, opportunities and love. It was said in the movie that we are defined by the opportunities we have. That is true and we are also defined by the decisions we make, which is what we do with our opportunities.

As Benjamin grew younger everyone else grew older, including the love of his life. This was hard to see, as I knew they’d never be a normal couple. He’d have to watch her fade away, while he grew into a young man. Think about the one you love. You may not be growing younger, but one day we will fade away. You want to be able to say that you took nothing for granted. This goes for the love of your life as well as everyone you encounter. Make an impact. Show some love. I’ve realized that I’m not the nicest person in the world, but this movie makes me want to be a better person.

I recommend this movie to everyone. It’ll make you think about your life, your loved ones and what this life means to you. You’ll want to pay attention to others more, including people you don’t know. For example, this movie makes me want to go sit and have conversation with an elderly man to hear his stories and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

The lives we live are gifts. We need to maximize our gifts and live life to the fullest. And, in the mean time, allow others to make a difference in our lives while we make differences in theirs.