Virgin Blogger

Late.

I am late.

No for the thousandth time, I am not pregnant.

I am late to the game.

Blogging has been around for quite some time now and I am just now jumping on the wagon. I guess I never really thought I had anything to say that anyone else might care to read. I kind of feel like the 40 year-old virgin blogger (except that I am about 15 years shy of 40 but almost at the same level of wit as Steve Carell).

My days of having nothing to blog about have come to an end. As the 2014 Oscar season is in full swing, I have had a personal mini-goal of watching each of the films nominated for best picture. Tonight as I was at the theater watching Philomena, I had an epiphany about combining two of my favorite things: therapy and the movies. Being a therapist and movie lover makes it impossible for me to not analyze movies from a therapeutic perspective since movies always portray dramatic aspects, thoughts, and happenings of life.

Not only do movies demonstrate therapeutic ideas, they also evoke feelings. When I am depressed I watch Tangled. When I am happy I watch Mean Girls. When I am feeling excited about new things I watch You've Got Mail. When I need to think, I throw in Shutter Island or Inception. If I am feeling adventure, UP! If I am feeling like a laugh, here comes Dumb and Dumber. I never need an excuse to watch Titanic. There is always a reason. I watch certain movies because I know how they make me feel. They give me something that I need. There is a whole psychology behind this idea known as Cinema Therapy, but I won't get into that right now. Just know it is real!

The best thing about seeing a new movie is not knowing how it is going to make me think or feel. That is exciting to me! My favorite movies are those that give me hope and inspire me. Movies do that for people. They often put words to ideas, thoughts, and feelings that we can't articulate ourselves. A lot of times movies have helped me gain better understanding. Sometimes it is an understanding about a historical event (like Argo for example). Other times it is just a better understanding about myself and the world we live in (like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty). That is what I am hoping to do with this blog. Help people gain a better understanding.

I am excited about this new adventure and I am hoping to learn more myself by sharing. My day job as a therapist is rooted in helping people find hope. It is nice to think that my hobby can do that as well.

"Better late than never." - The 40 Year-Old Virgin

I couldn't have said it better myself.