Life in Movie Scenes (Pandemic Edition)

My last few blogs have been a little heavy due to our current situation with COVID-19, so I think it is about time to insert something a little lighter in order to regain a shred of sanity as I am stuck at home in a quarantine. As many people know, I am a movie buff and really like to find connections between movies and what I experience in real life. Periodically, I engage in dialogue with others and try to respond totally in movie quotes to see how long I can make it without deviating from the game I am playing with myself. While I won't try to do this now, I do think it is appropriate to share a few movie clips that cover the wide range of emotions that I have experienced during this pandemic.

BILLY MADISON

I'll be the first to admit, RONA has me feeling like Chris Farley at times. When my kids aren't doing their Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) work on the schedule that my bride and I have worked out for them there have been a few times where I think about this little nugget.

BACK TO SCHOOL

I've often though about how returning to school will look and what I am going to feel like when I get to go back to school. I really like how Thornton Melon handles it. While I am pretty positive I couldn't do the Triple Lindy, I do think I could pull of the awesome swimsuit.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY

One of the greatest lines in the movie for me is, "That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?" This resonates with me because we will survive this pandemic and we have an unbelievable opportunity to contribute a verse to how we survived and how we are going to be better because of our shared experience.

FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF

There have been multiple times during this pandemic that I just wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there until everything is over, but I know that I have to push through it and do my job. In these times, I think of my good friend Cameron Frye.

THE GOONIES

During this pandemic, there are sometimes some pretty elaborate and specific things that we need to do in order to keep safe. This scene from the Goonies reminds me of the process we need to follow to gain access to certain places during the pandemic.

MAJOR LEAGUE

My days are consumed with virtual meetings and sometimes it takes all the energy in the world to just look presentable to my colleagues when I meet with them. I'm not sure that I could pull of the tie and leather vest look as well as Charlie Sheen.

BLUE OYSTER CULT - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

While this is not a movie, one of the lines in the clip has summed up my entire pandemic experience trying to be a building leader when schools are closed to on-site instruction. It occurs when Will Ferrell states, "I'd be doing myself a disservice, and every member of this band, if I didn't perform the hell out of this!" In this time of crisis, this is my mantra and expectation for myself and the people I lead.

SEINFELD

Again, this is not a movie, but this scene describes how I sometimes feel about Zoom meetings and how I wish I could leave on a high note.

CADDYSHACK

While the days are long and there isn't much face-to-face contact with people outside of my own family, I can always count on my weekly Staffulty Meetings with the folks in my building, which is nice.

I'll stop here for now, but rest assured, I could go on for days with other scenes from classic movies. Ultimately, the point that I am trying to make is that it is okay to go through the emotions during this pandemic and also find humor in some of the things we are going through. After all, as Jim Valvano states, "If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."