Groundhog Day, redux

I’ve written before about Groundhog Day, but this is a different story.

The truth is, the movie “Groundhog Day” is my muse.   Recently my friend Charlotte exclaimed on Facebook, “You must live 720 days a year!”  This was after I had spent the early afternoon sledding in Central Park with one group of friends, met Charlotte for an exhibit in Tribeca about the late Andy Kaufman, and had taken the train back uptown with her.  A mere hour after she got off the train for her stop, she saw my post:  “On my way to a jam session in Times Square!”  Charlotte commented, “But you JUST GOT HOME!!!”  I hadn’t planned to go to a jam session until a “last minute” invitation from singer-songwriter Emily Forst came my way.   My intinct told me to say “yes,” and then figure out the “how” later.

It all comes from “Groundhog Day.”  If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Bill Murray’s character’s breakthrough begins when Andie Macdowell suggests he uses his time to improve himself, and he takes this on with gusto, using what had been a terrible curse,  but now the incredible gift (with a new perspective) of unlimited time, and learns so many things that would have otherwise taken literally lifetimes to learn.  He has the time, and takes the time, to learn about everyone he meets, no matter how seemingly insignificant they might have seemed before.  He becomes an expert pianist, ballroom dancer, ice sculptor, linguist, even a doctor. 

Of course, this is just a movie, and even if it weren’t, I’m not the one trapped in a time vortex.  But it does make me realize how short life is, and how much it is incumbent upon all of us to live life fully expressed, as much as is possible. 

So I’ll continue saying YES! to things that either advance my purpose or continue my journey of self expression, especially if it’s something that can positively impact other people.  I’ll do this even if it means I get less sleep than I should.  Because the truth is, all the great things that have come my way and the amazing people who’ve entered my world have happened because I was willing to say yes (or yes/and, as they say in improv), and then do it, and just let life surprise me with wonderful results, which, like “luck,” are simply the residue of what happens when opportunity meets preparation combined with intent and action. 

Stay tuned for my article about the power of Yes!