The In Betweens

I watch too many movies.  In movies the main character gets an idea, struggles for the space of about three minutes, then becomes wildly successful as a result of said idea. Our “hardworking” protagonist gets a corner office at the age of 25, gets the girl/boy of her/his dreams, lives in a multimillion dollar apartment overlooking Central Park, and jets off on expensive holidays in Europe. 

 I’ve heard the saying that people don’t want to be in love, they want to be in love in the movies.  Well, I want to be successful like people in the movies.  In real life, there are too many In Between times.  In between getting an idea and getting the time to put it into words.  In between revisions and a final product.  In between sending out work and getting a response.  In between teaching a lesson and seeing the light of recognition in a student’s eyes. 

Most of life, at least my life, is lived within the in between times.  These times are not necessarily exciting and they are generally not easy.   I usually feel like I am stepping out into thin air and hoping that there will be something solid underneath my feet when I land.  The In Betweens require faith - faith in oneself, faith in the universe, faith in God, faith in whatever it is that gives you the certainty that your actions will produce a positive result.

Of course, there wouldn’t be In Betweens if there weren’t also Movie Moments.  After 2 months of tutoring, a student gets an A on the test.  You win a contest, land a job, find a publisher, or meet the person of your dreams.  Movie Moments make the struggle worthwhile.

I have had more than three minutes of struggle, more than three minutes of failure, and more than three minutes of waiting for my plans to come to fruition.  I wouldn’t turn down an opportunity shorten my In Betweens, but I’m not sure I would appreciate the magic of a Movie Moments quite as much.