An Unintentional Hiatus

Hey there friends,

I come to you today with a confession: Perhaps for the first time in the history of this writing-about-films endeavor, I watched no movies in this entire month.

This is not for lack of interest.  There are definitely movies I want(ed) to see this month--past tense in at least one case because I unfortunately missed my chance to see one in theaters.  For the others, I'm hoping to take advantage of this long weekend to ensure I don't lose out on seeing at least one of them on the big screen (especially since this is my second chance to see one of them after it was featured in a certain film fest I am very fond of).

It's also not for lack of trying.  I started "What Men Want" (2019) last night, but commenced watching it too late in the evening and fell short of finishing it.  It's also a bit long for a romantic comedy, if you ask me (almost two hours long), so that wasn't helping things.  I only have a half hour left to go and will likely finish it eventually, but likely not in time for it to technically be watched in its entirety by the end of this month.

Alternatively, it's not entirely for lack of opportunity.  Family visited for the weekend earlier this month, and last weekend Husband and I traveled to see family and friends in our beloved old home city.  (I still miss it so much, although now living in our new and also-beloved home city significantly eases the ache of leaving it again.)  That left some other weekends during which movie viewing could theoretically have happened.

At its simplest, this shortfall is due to other emotional and practical demands on my time and energy.

Given the nature of this blog, it is of course absurd and redundant to attest that I love movies.  I love them so very much.  I love the places I get to see movies in our new home.  And yet, there were kind of an inordinate number of demands on my overall life force this month.  Many of those demands were extremely positive, yet nevertheless a lot of work.  Unfortunately, that meant that when there were technically opportunities to go see films, or even to watch something at home, I felt depleted and therefore drawn to entertainment that was less demanding from an emotional, attentional, and time-commitment perspective.  While they may be relatively minor, it is a commitment of time, attention span, and emotional vulnerability to watch new movies.  I really hate to acknowledge it, but sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly drained, watching a film might not be the most skillful approach to self-care for me.

So instead, this month has been a month of reruns.  Husband and I have been primarily watching "Parks and Recreation", which has been a welcome and soothing choice (especially because you know how much I love Aubrey Plaza).  It's been exactly what I needed: to feel pleasantly and comfortingly diverted by a familiar, well-made, and much-appreciated show.

I'm hoping--perhaps not altogether unrealistically--that many of the more intense demands of August will subside at least a bit in September.  I therefore hope to resume movie-watching where I left off in July.  Happily, I've watched so many movies already in 2019 that even taking an entire month off won't meaningfully disrupt my progress toward my annual movie-watching goal.

Looking forward to sharing those with you soon.

{Heart}