you're just like me...

First, I gotta' say, I'm shooting EVERYTHING long lens on my next film.

Secondly, I gotta' say...

You.  Are just.  Like me.

Here's why.

I said to Niki last week, "You know the liquor store looks no less busy than it did at the height of the boom.  The only thing I'm doing is buying cheaper wine."  

"Baron Philippe De Rothschild" to be precise.

That's the wine you're looking at up there, shot just now, on a sunny early March day in my backyard.

It's good wine.  Simple, not fussy, and $19.95 for 1.5L.

Now, look at it this way.  When was the last time you bought a sub-$10 bottle of wine?  If you're me, the answer is 'never'.  I assume $9 wine is gonna' suck.  But, since things have turned a little more stressed financially--for me and perhaps for many of you as our economy convulses some-I've had no problem paying the equivalent of $9.975/750ml.

It's good wine.

And what is it--exactly--that we want from wine?

We want to sip it as we sit with someone we love.  Then we want it to make our legs warm and our heads/hearts light(er).  Then we want it to make the someone we love take their clothes off.

[hopefully your kids aren't reading this... :) ]

Am I right or am I right?

So two points from this post.

1) It's the simple things in life that fulfill.  Wine makes light the heart of man.  God made it that way.  Jesus himself was known to pour it on even after the party had gotten a little out of hand. If you don't agree, you've never been to a Jewish wedding lemme' tell you.  Remember to enjoy those lighter, happier, simpler, friendlier moments especially when you're stressed.  If you can do it with friends, even better.

2) The day after I said to Nik what I said re: my wine purchasing habits I heard a report on the news that said that beer and wine purchases are up in the recession and that that's a pattern from previous recessions.  They went on to say that people don't stop buying wine.  They keep buying--and typically buy a bit more--but they migrate to cheaper brands.

Just like me and you.

And that blew my mind 'cause it reminded me that we need to trust our instincts.

Too often as preachers/storytellers/business leaders/parents/lovers we second guess our instincts.  We feel like 'this' is the right thing to do and the right way to do it but we get insecure.  We wonder if our tastes are truly universal.  We wonder if what we're worried about others are worried about.  We stop ourselves from speaking up 'cause we're afraid of being ostracized.  

When all the while everyone around you is doing the same thing as you.

So, write that story, preach that sermon, take your company in that direction, raise those kids, seduce that wife.

You know in your heart what's right.

Trust yourself.

And do it.

T

ps: stay tuned for my 'pizza and movie night' post coming tomorrow morning...