Of Groundhogs and Heart-throbs

       Wow, February is already upon us--and almost behind us. At the beginning of this frosty month, there is a holiday that is often overlooked. To be honest, I completely forgot about it this year.  No, not to worry, it wasn't Valentine's Day...it was Groundhog Day. When I was younger, this holiday had very little meaning to me, especially due to the fact that I still had to go to school. No holiday was really worth noticing unless I got to miss school for it--or at least do something fun and exciting because of it. Days such as Groundhog Day, Columbus Day and the like just never really excited or inspired me like some of the more commercialized holidays.

       A few years back, however, I discovered a film that changed the way I looked at Groundhog Day forever--yep, you probably guessed it. The movie is called Groundhog Day. It is the somewhat sad, somewhat comical story of a News Reporter who is rather cynical and jaded about life, who somehow gets trapped replaying the same day over and over again--that day being groundhog day. Absolutely nothing that he tries manages to change the cycle. He tries everything--even committing suicide--and the next day he wakes up, and it's groundhog day all over again.

       This story really captivated me, because I was at a point in my life where I felt I was stuck in a cycle--a routine that didn't seem to have an end in sight. Granted, I never went as far as the character in Groundhog Day--suicide doesn't much appeal to me, honestly. But I wanted to change things up. Of course, because I was so young when I was first captivated by this idea, things have changed a lot for me now since i'm no longer a teenage hermit living in my parents' basement. That's my younger brother now.

        Probably the biggest cycle that bothered me, though, had to do with a slightly more well known holiday in February--Valentines Day (or single's awareness day, as I knew it for most of my life). When I was a little kid, this holiday was mostly about giving and getting tasty candy, with lovey dovey overtones that I didn't really care about. But once I hit the 'teenager' stage, Valentines Day wasn't the same. I didn't care about the candy anymore--what I wanted more was to not be alone. Year after year, however, relationship after relationship would fail or end prematurely, or just blow up in my face. Valentines Day would always just be a reminder to me that I was once again alone.

       I know, my life is a tragic sob story (insert sarcasm here). Everyone has their love troubles, especially in the teenage years. I still didn't understand what love really was, so there was really no realistic way that the relationships I was trying to form could ever last. In a way, I felt like my love life was stuck in this cycle of doom, like in Groundhog Day. Luckily for me, this year was different. This was the first year where I forgot about Groundhog Day, and the cycle that it reminded me of in my life--and I could only think of Valentines Day, where I could be all mushy and romantic with my wife. What a wonderful change!

        What I realized this year, however, is that just like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, I had to work hard to bust myself out of the cycle that was driving me mad. These days, though, holding a marriage together seems to be a herculean feat in and of itself. Just because I've found the love of my life that I want to spend forever with, certainly doesn't mean that everything'll be all peaches and cream from here on out. But as they say, you can accomplish anything if you have your goal your sights.

         I think that there are times in everyone's lives when they feel like they're stuck in a rut, like there's nowhere to go because you're stuck doing the same thing over and over again. But you're never stuck! This life is a short one--far too short to go through being moody and brooding all the time. There is always something that you can do to make your situation better--even if it's something as small as having a positive, cheerful attitude and trying your best to put a smile on. Oftentimes it's the little things that make a big difference.