I think that I've posted about The Guardian before, however, I recently watched it again and there was one scene that really stuck out to me that I hadn't noticed before. For those who haven't seen the movie it is about a rescue swimmer for the United States Coast Guard who's co-worker and friend dies at sea. He is forced to take a leave of absence and teach at the training facility; while there he gets divorce papers sent to him by his wife who can no longer come second to his job which he has dedicated his life to. In this scene that stuck out he goes to a local bar one night where he is close friends with the owner and divulges to her his troubles: his best friend died, his wife wants a divorce, and he is trying to show himself he is capable of doing certain things despite his age. After she places an ice-pack on his blown-out shoulder he asks her with a slight chuckle, "when the heck did we get old?". It is after this that the magic happens. She goes on to tell him that being old isn't necessarily a bad thing; "Hell, I've always been old Ben, you know what though, I don't mind. If my muscles ache its because I used them, its hard for me to walk up them steps now because I walked up them every night to lay next to a man that loved me. I got a few wrinkles here and there, but I layed under thousand of skies on sunny days, yeah, I look and feel this way...well cause I drank and I smoked, I lived and I loved, I danced, sang, sweat, and screwed my way through a pretty damn good life. Getting old aint bad...getting old...that's earned." This old ladies raspy voice and harsh language cuts through the crap and gets to the good stuff. I was a little shocked at myself for not noticing this little gem the first time I watched this movie; but than I thought that perhaps I didn't notice it because it wasn't old enough to understand it. Now I realize the twenty-two is not very old, but its old enough to start experiencing life and what it has to offer, good and bad. I love her take on life. Most everyone sees ageing as this horrible experience that each person has to endure at some point in time. But from her perspective we get to be old, its a sign that we've lived. My dad has a permanently messed up nose because he broke it so many times from playing hockey his whole life, playing rugby, football, and having fun. That broken nose is a sign of the memories he's made. From her life point-of-view the bumps and bruises that we get along the way aren't signs of failure and mistakes or blemishes, they are signs that that life has been earned.
https://youtu.be/3iaXQ1U7EBg
