This week that movie was Moana.
I know... I know... I'm super late again but better late than never, right?
You're probably seeing a pattern already... (Besides the fact I never get a chance to see a new movie until it's hit Redbox like a year later.)
What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good cartoon with a moral... or several in this case.
Moana inspired me in so many different ways I could very well write an entire book about it I'm sure. But for the sake of not spoiling the movie for those who are even later than me, I'm going to focus on the part I related to most... Specifically, the part that inspired the theme song in the movie "How Far I'll Go".
This song and subject focus really resinated in my soul and I'm sure many of you can relate.
Although there was much symbolism and some very unrealistic "cartoony" experiences throughout, the overall theme of the movie is one I cannot seem to shake, as the song says, "no matter how hard I try". (Not to mention get the song out of my head. --LOL)
Can you relate to the lyrics in this song?
When Moana describes that "call of the sea"... feeling like something must be wrong with her... not understanding why she feels this way but realizing it's something that's been a part of her since she can remember....
For many of you reading this, myself included, you understood exactly what she was talking about. Using the call of the ocean to perfectly describe something that so many of us feel on a regular basis as it relates to our dreams, vision and purpose.
These descriptive lyrics are truly how it feels to know deep down inside that you were designed for something great. You were created for something bigger than you can imagine and it's something that literally calls you constantly.
Some of us choose to run from or ignore that calling completely, others embrace it and run after it no matter the consequences or sacrifices that must be made. Whichever option we choose, I'm sure we all have those moments where we think something is wrong with us. Why doesn't it seem like everyone has this same gravitational pull? Why does my family, friends and everyone else seem so against it, rather than encouraging me, they tell me to take another path that's more "suitable" to what they consider normal? Why does everyone else settle for average?
As the song says, "I know, everybody on this island seems so happy on this island... has a role on this island... maybe I can roll with mine".
There's something about that pull that sets us apart and makes us think that we're the ones out of line and we should just do our best to be like everyone else--what everyone else says is normal and/or acceptable.
The "island" described in these lyrics is the life I lived before I moved to Atlanta to follow my dreams in the entertainment industry. I literally left behind the only comfort zone I knew in Kentucky to take a total leap of faith... and it was scary. It still is sometimes.
Often it seems like, until I get to my "Disney movie ending" and can make my family proud, help all the homeless I've adopted as family along my journey, and truly make a difference, not just for my people, but the world, I can never truly feel "accomplished".
There were so many times I thought it'd be best to just blend in, go with the flow...
"I'll be satisfied if I play along... But the voice inside sings a different song..." And it's true!
Life sure can be easier when you make a conscience decision to settle for mediocre. The problem is that calling won't go away. It'll just be buried deep reminding you that you're not being and doing who you were created to be and what you were created to do.
Moana was truly inspiring. The character, played by Auli'i Cravalho, was brave even when she doubted herself. She persevered through every obstacle, even with all odds stacked against her. She dreamed big and saw a solution for every problem even when it didn't seem like the most realistic one to everyone else. Moana truly embodies the representation for all of us that others perceive as "crazy" because we dream so big, so far, so wide and so deep... just like the ocean.
I was in my twenties the first time I'd ever laid eyes on the ocean. I remember making the statement that I honestly was starting to believe it was just one of those things you see on TV that doesn't exist in real life. When I'd see it in movies I'd desire to go there but the longer it took, the less it seemed like a possibility. The more I doubted.
Isn't that how it is though?
It's hard to believe in something you've never even seen, yet some things are so easy for people to believe exists anyway, like a million dollars... or the ocean.
The ocean... it's the only thing I've ever come in contact with that's as big as my own dreams and it made my dreams seem so small and so... realistic... so possible.
I knew once I saw the sea that nothing would be able to stop me from going after all that I dream about accomplishing one day. At that point I had something real to compare it to. Much the same as the ocean, as the song says, "no one knows how far it goes".... Isn't that amazing?
Even though I've actually seen this phenomenon now, myself and everyone else on the planet still have no idea how deep it is... Although we learn more about it through exploration, there is still so much mystery about it's depths, so much that we just don't know.
Well that's how it is with our dreams... and we have to SEE IT in our minds just like the ocean... Even though we can't see every detail of it or exactly how it will happen, at least we know it's real, and we keep exploring and learning as we go.
I'm still fascinated by the ocean and never take the sight, smell, and sound of it for granted on any occasion in which I've returned to it. It's been the one tangible thing that makes me sure of what I'm created for.
In the movie, Moana was "chosen" by the ocean to return a rock to it's rightful place but she had no idea how she would impact the world and, (so as not to spoil the ending) she had no idea exactly how this purpose of hers would play out. She just went with it and she ended up doing much more than just what she'd originally set out to do.
This was a reminder to me that even with the calling that we know is much bigger than us... even with our big imaginations... there is still so much we don't know or see about our future and our purpose. All we have to do is embrace and begin to walk in it, fearlessly, against all odds and watch how God will use us and even aid us along the way.
If you haven't seen Moana, get up and go get it from your local Redbox now! Especially if you can relate to this blog. I'm telling you... it's going to make that pull stronger, and sometimes that's just what you need to go ahead and start moving forward. Stop allowing your life and the people around you to make you complacent. That's NOT who YOU are!
If you relate to this article that's all the proof you need to know that YOU have a bigger purpose and calling on your life. If it's calling you then go after it!
Don't get to the end of your story and look back with regret wishing you'd "sailed beyond the reef"... jump on the boat and ride the waves!
By the way... You're Welcome! ;-)
(Inside joke... you'll get it once you watch the movie.)
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| At one point I honestly thought the ocean didn't exist. Like my dreams it was something I'd only seen on TV or in my mind. Like my dreams, it does exist, I've just got to get to it to see it for myself. Don't let anyone convince you that your dreams aren't just as real as the ocean... ...deep and still so much to be discovered. ~ Vitelle |
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