Soul

Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season!

Yesterday, we watched Soul (2020) for the first time since it was released direct to Disney+ during the pandemic. It was also the first time for the 3-yr old.

The direct-to-streaming release was unfortunate, as this is a beautiful film. Upon the rewatch, I was so impressed with how the animation styles and the music played off of each other. And the music! The original songs by Jon Batiste combined with the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are memorable and exceptionally evocative. We could tell how entrancing it all was by the locked in attention of the kid.

If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend. I won’t spoil the plot here, but will note that the messages resonant highly as the new year approaches and many of us take stock of where we are and where we want to be in the future.

The past year has been an active and challenging one for me. From a move out of the city and to the country right after New Year’s to adjusting as a family to our new home to changing jobs and then taking some time off at the end of the year. A very active 2024 all around. A year in which I did think a lot about how I spend my time, what is most important in my life, and how I want to spend the decades ahead.

Here are some questions I think worth pondering (maybe even while watching Soul…):

• Are you on the path today that will have you in 10/20/30 years looking back and smiling?

• Can you communicate clearly what is truly important in your life and what you might be able to let go of right now?

• Are you being true to yourself and to the most important people around you?

Life is full of the unexpected. Make the most of it right this moment.