Throughout my life, I have discovered a series of ways to relieve stress. From playing pool to kicking a soccer ball against my parents' garage. But it's only been in the last few years that I have come across one of my favorite stress relievers.
I was really little when my Papa (my mom's dad) first had us watch McLintock and True Grit. It wasn't long before I developed a deep and abiding love of both these movies. And for a long time, that was it. Three and a half years ago, however, Nathan and I were planning our wedding and one evening after a long stressful day, we found ourselves at Dollar Video in DeKalb. Typically, when we rent movies, we get two, one for each of us. Nathan had picked his movie and asked me what I wanted and I said "Really, I just want to watch John Wayne shoot someone." After that, I discovered that this actually was an incredible stress reliever and that I love just about every movie he ever made.
I mean think about it, in most of his movies he's strong and handsome and wins in the end. I find that kind of assurance very appealing when I'm stressed out. You already know what's going to happen, the fun part is finding out how. Since then, I have seen many more John Wayne movies than I would have otherwise I think. But for right now, I've gone back to an old favorite, I borrowed True Grit from the library. I had forgotten whole segments of it. Sorry, Papa.
By the way, because I discovered this facet of my personality while I was planning my wedding, it also led to one of the best bridal shower invitations I have ever seen, created by my good friend Bonnie. It started with the word "Wanted" and ended with "Hope you can make it, Pilgrim." And included a picture of The Duke firing a gun. It was fantastic.
Pee U
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