I just finished watching a film which hit me pretty hard. It centers around the relationships between the protagonist, her mother, and her sister – all while they try to deal with the gradual decline in health of the protagonist’s grandmother as well as the issues in their own lives.
It spoke to me because the scenes in which the characters were sat around a hospital bed was a familiar scene to me. Just over 1.5 years ago, that was my family and I. The hours spent by the bedside of our beloved grandma will forever be burnt into my mind, as countless thoughts, memories and words poured out to her, both while she was conscious and not. The film also interweaves some modern dancing (as the protagonist is a dancer) which conveys feelings that neither spoken nor written word can. To this end, it was extremely powerful and beautiful – some of the dance scenes were breathtaking and I found myself absolutely drawn in. I’ve never been a fan of dancing (because I can’t dance at all) but I feel myself beginning to appreciate it.
But what led me to this post is that while they were cleaning up their grandma’s house and belongings, it brought me back to when we were cleaning up my grandma’s house and belongings. And it reminded me of words my grandma said to me, multiple times throughout my life: “when we die, we leave everything we own. We can’t take it with us, so just use it now and enjoy it.”
Simple as that, really. It doesn’t go with us when we die. Your nice material possessions – they are worth nothing to you once you die. But I don’t mean this in a “so it’s all pointless” way, but rather – appreciate and utilize your time, abilities and possessions while you can, to the benefit of yourself and those around you.
Seven Star Leaf - セブン・スター・リーフ 