Perhaps I've become a softie, but the movie Julie and Julia moved me to tears. Happily, I also experienced lots of laugh - some explosive ha's, a stream of giggles and more than one laugh-to-tears moment. Not only is this wonderful story about food - my new favorite subject - it is a story, two actually, about accomplishing your goals, realizing your dreams, finishing what you've started.
The Julia part of the story, of course, deals with Julia Child as she and her husband move to Paris and Julia looks for 'something to do'. She is a foodie from the start and only when she enrolls in the Cordon Bleu does her passion get ignited.
Julie's passion for writing has been snuffed out by her government job, dealing with the aftermath of Sept. 11. It's hinted that she was a writer at Amherst and the one who was going to 'make something of her life'. When her friend starts a blog about her dating life, Julie thinks she might want to start a blog, too, and eventually decides to blog about cooking recipes from Julia Child's cookbook.
For both women, being published is their dangling carrot. Julia has a long and frustrating experience trying to get her recipes published, and although Julie is self-published via her blog, she constantly wonders if anyone's reading, who cares, etc. She wants something bigger, though what she's not sure.
The movie follows their struggles and their victories, both large and small - one in the 1940's, another in 2002. It's the same story, the need to connect on a grander scale.
Food is love, and makes me think of all the gourmet meals my mom made when I was a kid, and the meals Jen and Basil seemingly effortlessly whip up every time I'm there. During the movie I thought of all my foodie friends, like Lisa H. who's egg and pasta dish is now one of my staples, and Liz and Chris who often host fine dining experiences in their own home.
Food is love, but writing is life, and I am reminded of this every time I head back into this second novel that is causing me such angst. I question the very things Julie questioned, from 'who cares?' to 'nobody's going to die if you don't finish'. And I can so relate to Julia when, after getting rejected from another publisher, she says simply, sadly, "Eight years of my life." Both women get their happy ending and this goes along with my theory that the only difference between people who live their dreams vs. people who don't is PERSEVERANCE.
And so, dear readers (if anyone's reading) I must go finish my novel, because if Julie and Julia can do it, so can I.
