Life Lessons From Something's Gotta Give

Something's Gotta Give is one of my all-time favorite films; I watch it every time it's on TV, and if it's not on TV, I pop in the DVD every chance I get. I've never tired of it and I probably never will. Besides being hilarious and adorable and smart, there are important life lessons to be learned from the movie. Here's what I've taken away from it after watching for what seemed like the millionth time recently.  

1. Light candles at dinner.

I've watched the movie no less than five dozen times, yet I only just realized while watching the other day that Erica Barry had placed lit candles on her table at dinner. It wasn't a particularly fancy or romantic dinner, no special occasion or anything, but by lighting candles it made something special out of something ordinary. Light candles at dinner--I mean this both metaphorically and literally (because they really do look so pretty).

2. Find inspiration in everything.

After having her heart broken by Harry, Erica, a playwright, manages to turn her pain into a masterpiece. She took all that emotion--the pain, the rejection, the anguish--and turned it into fuel to get over the writer's block she was suffering from and create a Broadway hit. 

3. Cry...and cry and cry. 

It's therapeutic and cathartic, and most of all, necessary. A couple of years ago I was going through a really difficult time and no one, not even my husband, knew what to say or do to help me. I was angry and heartbroken, and the only thing that gave me any reprieve, no matter how short-lived, was crying, and then crying some more.  

4. Go to Paris for your birthday.

Or do something else if you like, but just make sure it's fabulous. I spend a ton of time every year making sure that my daughters have the most magical birthday celebrations, and that I do something meaningful and special for my husband and friends, but I honestly can't remember the last time I put any real thought into my own birthday. That's going to change. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated!


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