For a Reason

I was up before eight this morning, unheard of for a weekend and with my coffee I settled in to enjoy watching "The Pursuit of Happyness," with Will Smith. I first heard of the production about a year ago, around the time it was released in to theaters, when I read an interview with the real Christopher Gardner in a Readers Digest. Soon after that, I was lucky enough to catch Mr. Gardner, along with Will Smith, his son Jaden (who plays his son in the movie) and their family on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The movie is based on a book written by Gardner, about his experience struggling through being homeless while trying to care for his son and at the same time keeping a job on Wall Street. Seeing this movie today was a real lesson in everything happening for a reason.

I've been in a funk lately, a financial one and I've been fighting tooth and nail to keep it from getting me down. At least once a day, Lulu and I discuss how there is money to be made from the internet and that one of these days, I'm going to figure it out. We hear stories all the time of everyday people who've figured out a way to live comfortably without trudging out to their versions of the Cubicle Asylum every day. Surely to goodness there's a way. Lulu likes to say, "when you get internets famous, can I come work for you?" and I always tell her, "yes, part time.. no benefits."

I've been kicking an idea around for a few months but I've never taken that next step and registered the domain or seriously considered what it will take to accomplish. This weekend I've struggled with whether it's worth the time and effort and questioned my ability to pull it off. I don't have much self-confidence. I had just about talked myself out of it last night. Then this morning I watched "The Pursuit of Happyness."

It was the spiritual kick in the pants I needed.

Immediately following that movie, was "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," about a housewife who makes ends meet for her family by writing jingles and poems for contest entries. A woman who writes? It struck a nerve. A common thread through both of these movies was that neither of the main characters ever gave up. I really believe it was what I needed to see this morning.

Just in case you think I'm giving this mornings movie viewing a little too much spiritual credit, here are a few points worth pondering:

1. I don't have a subscription to Readers Digest. I picked that copy up at the post office where it had been left by the trash can. It was the only edition of Readers Digest that I've read in probably five years.

2. I only see Oprah's show on holidays or on the rare occasion that I call in sick.

3. Although I might get up early on the weekends if harassed to do so by an angry chihuahuaranian with a full bladder, I always go back to sleep on the couch. But not today.

So I'm going to give it a shot. I'll let ya'll know when I've got things up and running, although I'm going to have to be careful to keep that site separate from here. I want to be able to market it locally. I'll let ya'll know how it's going.

We're going to have a good week ya'll. I can feel it. Let's hit the ground running!