I'm feeling ill today, not in spirit, thankfully.

I saw a small child wave at me from a maroon minivan today while stuck in traffic. I smiled and waved back and pictured the satisfaction the child must have gotten from the gesture. Turning back around in her seat, a subtle smile spread across her face. The radio softly plays soft rock as her mothers plump forearm rests out of the open window.
It was the simplest of interaction between two human beings, and it gave both such a feeling of gratification. The scene was a comely thought that pushed me further into more thoughts of the beauty of the world:

-Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp
The thought that one mans flawed, but awe-inspiring view of life could transcend all the forces against it is comforting. Many claim he was lacking of common sense, stupid to go into the Alaskan wilderness so unprepared, his death by starvation inevitable.
And I agree.
But his passion and fervor are awe-inspiring. The over-romanticized version of the story told by Sean Penn in the 2007 film Into the Wild works because of that notion. He's a tragic hero, one full of flaws and inexperience. But his passion and radical message make up for his shortfalls. The vivaciousness of his idea of detaching from a materialistic society to live among the purity of nature is stirring. I thought the film was just beautiful, a true testament to the human spirit (or what the human spirit should be).

-I love when people tell me things and I replay them in my mind. Alex used this metaphor of his life going by like a train, because of how busy he was. Its a simple image but I made it this epic scene of Alex riding on a train, reflection against the lush passing forest. Images of the life he's leaving behind suddenly replace the scenery creating a surreal entrance into his thoughts.

-The other night I was at a party. Eventually we all piled into one bed in the corner of a room with no lightbulb and listened to some old vinyls. One by one people left, the size of the bed proving to be too small. I was left with just me and two friends who were half-awake, Pink Floyd's, "The Dark Side of the Moon" playing on the record player. I realized how chic and ridiculous the scene was whilst staring at the top of the bunk bed above me. But I felt privileged to be a part of such a moment. I thought "this must have been what it was like" as the screams and laughter from the other room found their way through the walls.


I think I want to make a habit of this. I'll focus my writing on movies and these "beautiful moments". It always makes me feel more at ease when I write things like that in here.