Sunday, October 26, 2008

High School Musical 3 - Shooting for the Stars

I’m a nerd. I know. I went to see High School Musical 3 opening morning (aka the midnight showing). And I know I'm kinda writing a review again, but I think the reason I write about movies and plays is because they get me to think.

Well, HSM3 wasn’t super amazing, but if you liked the first two, you’ll like this one. If you didn’t, you probably won’t like this one either. Like the first two, HSM3 is filled with cool dancing and catchy songs that you’ll buy/download and listen to over and over. Also like the first two, it has some cheesy lines, cheesy acting, and cheesy facial expressions. But it’s cute, and if you have ever worried about the future, you’ll be able to relate to what the characters are going through.

I don’t think I ever worried about what I was going to do after high school. I would graduate, go to BYU for a year, then on a mission for two years, back to BYU, get married, get a job, etc. I didn’t have many plans for after my mission/college, but I never worried about that in high school. In fact, I don’t think I ever worried about my future until I was graduated from college with bills to pay and no job. I hadn’t found anything, and I was in a bad spot financially, so I took a job as a server at Olive Garden and one as a courier while I searched for that career job.

I eventually found one, and I’m working for that company now. It’s nice to have a real job with a salary and to feel somewhat like an adult, but I’ve started to think about my future again. I still don’t feel like I’m a real adult – I feel like I’m still pretending, because I don’t know where my life is going. Now I’m just working in a job, trying to do my best, but I never wanted work to be my focus. I see so many people whose work defines them – I don’t want to be like that.

Of all the important things in my future, the most important one was the one for which I couldn’t really prepare. The thing is, without someone to share it with, my life seems so empty. One of my favorite movies is Notting Hill. Hugh Grant says this to his married friends when they’re trying to set him up with someone: “I think you have forgotten what an unusual situation you have here: to find someone you actually love, who'll love you. The chances are...always minuscule.”

Although HSM3 wraps things up nicely, with happy endings all around, real life doesn't work like that, and sometimes it’s hard to believe that things will work out. Let’s be honest, in dating, everything up to this point has been a failure. Because I’ve never known success, I have no reason to believe it (success) actually exists. For other people, sure - I've seen it happen for them. But for me?

I know what I'm supposed to do: to date, to put myself out there. I know that, but I just don't know if it will ever happen for me.

Maybe I just need to stop wishing on shooting stars.

--

I guess I must be wishing on someone else's star.
Seems like someone else keeps getting what I'm wishing for.
Why can't I be as lucky as those other people are?
Oh I guess I must be wishing on someone else's star.