Amelia

Last night Rick and I watched Amelia on Pay Per View.  He promptly fell asleep on the couch which left me alone to be drawn into the life of Amelia Earhart.  In the quietness of our living room I was transfixed to the movie.  If you have yet to see the movie you may not want to read this blog, but first go watch the movie and then return.


Before doing this blog I read reviews of the movie which were harsh.  But movie critics have their opinions and I have mine.  I loved the movie and would easily give it a 9 out of 10.  I don't need to know all the complexities of their lives and I believe this is a sweet remembrance of a dynamic woman.


Maybe sitting there in our living room I was not so engaged with the movie itself, but the person and life of Amelia Earhart and her relationship with her husband.  A woman so driven by her dreams that she was not going to be enticed away by the promise of love.


Knowing that Amelia was a rare creature, her husband George Putnam, held her with a loose grip to love her, but not crush her.  He entered into her dream with a fierce love for her and was determined to make her dream their dream.  Not only did he support her, but endeavored to make sure her dreams came true.


Her brief affair with Gene Vidal was just that, brief.  I believe Amelia loved her husband and his gentle grip drew her back.  I am convinced that had he held her tightly, so tightly as to suffocate her dream, he would have most assuredly lost her.


He took risks for her. No amount of time, money or work was too much.  Whatever it took, he was determined to make her dreams come true.  He was also willing to turn on a moments notice to allow failure and ruin to enter their lives should she decide to never fly again after her first failed world flight.


What kind of love is this that he would set aside his life for the joy and pleasure of his wife's?  A love that understands the joy and pleasure of giving. And one that understands that the old adage, 'tis better to give than receive, was an over simplification of the ecstasy of giving out of love. 

I dare say very few ever experience that level of fearless, selfless love for their mate.  Even the constant risk of losing her, not only to others but also to death, could not prevent him from giving her the dream, the life she yearned for.


I loved that the movie painted her as a woman, feminine and gentle, but fierce when pursuing her dreams.  She had determination, but didn't need to be masculine in order to do that very thing.  The two traits can coincide, gentle femininity and fierce determination.


She made it to all the places she had dreamed as a little girl.  She saw the wonders of the world.  Even though she did not make it all the way around, she went further than anyone before her.  She died doing what she loved and was born to do. Can we say the same?  Can we be brave enough to break beyond the mundane and answer the call of our dreams?


In the final lines of the movie we hear Amelia say, "Everyone has oceans to fly as long as you have the heart to do it.  Is it reckless?  Maybe.  But what do dreams know of boundaries?"


I want to challenge us all to fly our oceans, reckless or not and to live our dreams without bounds.  I want to challenge the men in our lives to love us fiercely and to hold us gently, allowing us to pursue our dreams regardless of the cost.

Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire


DAY JOB LINKS...
Dreams Do Come True
Dragonfly In Amber Designs