Here it is: I love music, have a weak spot for hip hop, and naturally I had to watch "Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah and LL Cool J when it was on the other night. I actually had different plans for my evening but when I read the movie summary, I was enticed to watch it. Basically, a woman who leads a quiet life in New Orleans one day by accident finds out that she will die in a few weeks. This naturally triggers a lot of pain for her and at the same time liberates her to think about what she wants to do with her precious time left. I will let you know right now that she was misdiagnosed just so that you won't get depressed by this post.
However, the movie raises a very interesting question which I like to address at times with my clients: If you found out that you only had a few weeks or months to live, what would you do?
In Western culture, we tend not to discuss or think about death and dying until we have to - for example, when we or someone we know is facing a serious illness. It is a taboo for many of us because we are naturally afraid of the unknown. The more we allow ourselves to contemplate it, the more we might fill our lives with enriching experiences and let go of the small stuff that bothers us every day. "Last Holiday" is a playful and thoughtful movie on the topic, and naturally with Queen Latifah it is fun to watch at the same time. What better way to spend an evening and be inspired?
