Day: January 13, 2014

The Simple Habits

indigoshellLeave a comment

Throughout life you pick up simple habits. Sometimes they last forever, sometimes they last only for a duration of time when the situation has passed.

The way she pushes her bangs away from her face, though they’ve grown all the way out and tied up into a neat, workplace bun.

The way he hits the switch on the wall, though his younger sister is no longer afraid of the dark.

Habits can form for no reason whatsoever, yet they can be all the reason you change.

The way he sneaks out of the house at night, though he no longer lives with his parents.

The way she shuts her door all the way, though she knows nobody is home.

They aren’t really habits though, in a sense, it’s a part of their life now.

The way she clutches at her bag in the Paris subway, though there’s nobody around to rob her.

The way he checks for his lighter, wallet, then keys, in that order, though he has quit smoking three months ago.

When you loose a habit, that chapter of your life has ended.

The way he no longer reaches for his crutch when standing up.

The way she no longer holds her hairband in her teeth when tying a high pony.

Then a new habit begins, without you even realizing it.

The way she keeps her hand over her pocket to feel for her phone vibrating.

The way he keeps his head low, watching the ground with great care.

Lone Survivor

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

This weekend I went to go see the newly released movie “Lone Survivor,” starring Mark Wahlberg. From seeing the trailer I could tell that it was going to be a fairly intense movie, but I figured it would also be the typical war movie – glamorized, patriotic, and making all the men in the theatre want to walk out and immediately enroll in the army. Boy, was I wrong.

“Lone Survivor” hardly wasted any time in getting to the good stuff. At the beginning of the movie, there is just enough time provided for the viewer to learn about the characters – their friendship, and what is waiting for them back home. And then after you have been tactfully exposed to their lives, the action starts. And it doesn’t end until the final credits roll.

The film, which is based on of a true story, follows four NAVY SEALS, all of which are friends, on a mission to kill a dangerous Taliban member. He is wanted for killing twenty Marines in one week. From the start, the mission doesn’t go well. Their planned lookout spot has an obstructed view of the village, prompting them to move to the top of a peak, where goat herders happen upon them.

After a conflict of morals, the herders are released, upon which they return to the village and the four friends begin the fight for their lives. Every time you think they might catch a break, another hurdle is thrown at them. They push their bodies past the breaking point, and then more. One by one, they die, leaving only the lone survivor. Hence the title of the movie.

I’m not usually a crier during movies. Especially over a war movie. And especially when in a theater. But about halfway through the movie the waterworks started, and they didn’t end until twenty minutes after we had left the theater and had sat down for lunch. Before the credits rolled, pictures of those who had been involved in the real mission were projected onto the screen, along with pictures of their families, videos of their weddings and their names. It was heartbreaking. The movie was raw and powerful. It did not glamorize their jobs, and instead showed the reality of what the men in Afghanistan have to face. It was action and adrenaline-packed. It was brutal and intense. And it was really really good.

I was not the only one crying during that movie. It’s hard to watch, but worth watching.