*Some spoilers ahead!

Tonight I had the experience of watching the film “Everything, Everything” at the movie theatre in my hometown with my two best friends and my sister. To not say that I was a little let down by the movie would be a lie. Don’t get me wrong, it was a sweet, uplifting and very creative story (and it obviously prompted me to write an article). The movie was just a little typical, the romance escalated extremely quickly, and the two main characters were slightly awkward. * Besides my few slight critiques, it was honestly a lovely time. The whole experience was enhanced by my sister making witty comments throughout the entire movie and listening to the audience’s reactions to the young lovers trying to figure out how to make lemonade out of their sour situation. However, the movie had an unexpected twist (I won’t spoil it because it is a really, really cool twist…which, ofcourse, my sister saw coming) and unexpectedly got something inside me stirring.

My mother has told me all my life that humans are naturally born with only two fears (and spiders are not one of them). They are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Funny how even though humans are only born with two natural fears, we somehow find reasons to be afraid of way more than just two things.

Just take a second to think about everything…. everything you’ve missed (see what I did there?!) just because you were afraid of something. Maybe you didn’t go to that party because you were afraid that girl you heard didn’t like you was going to be there. Maybe you didn’t order the dessert you really wanted to try at a super fancy once-in-a-lifetime restaurant because you were afraid you would gain too much weight. Maybe you didn’t go to the school dance because you were afraid people would think you were a loser for going alone.

I can’t say that I haven’t done something because I was afraid. I have missed a lot of opportunities because I was afraid. Growing up, I had really terrible asthma. Some nights I would lay awake at night wondering if I would wake up in the morning because I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Looking back, I realize that is a huge factor in why I am so careful about everything I do and why I am so sensitive to change.

I also think I live my life carefully because of the church I grew up in. I grew up in the Catholic Church, and those of you who are Catholic can 100% agree that the Catholic guilt is REAL. Sometimes it seems like if you accidentally say the word “hell” you are pretty much guaranteed a one-way ticket there. ** It seems like I micro-analyze everything I do because I want to make sure I’m the best Christian I can be and the best example to those who aren’t Christians (I actually wrote another article about this…if you’re even the slightest bit interested check it out here: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/christian-and-hypocrite).

But there is a difference between living a good life and living an over-analyzed life.

Maddy, the main character of “Everything, Everything” really inspired me. The movie says she has a disease that prevents her from even stepping foot outside. But as you might have seen in the previews, Madeline says she was, “willing to sacrifice everything just to live one perfect day.” This 18-year old girl was crazy enough to book a plane ticket to Hawaii with her new love interest just to experience one day at the ocean. She was willing to risk death just to take a breath of fresh air for the first time.

Okay, that might be a little extreme, but how many of us are healthy and able to fully live life, but won’t just because we are too scared. I won’t say that being scared to do something won’t ever stop me from doing something ever again. It probably will, and that’s just a part of life. I just wrote this article to say that maybe we need to stop focusing so much on why we shouldn’t do something and focus more on “Everything, Everything” we will miss if we don’t.

*Those are my only critiques. 1. I’m not really a romance kind of girl. 2. I am a musical theatre major, so I highly respect the actors and how difficult their craft can be. I give 5 stars to the actors because I thought they did a fantastic portrayal of the characters.

**I do not disagree with the Catholic faith nor do I discourage people to join the Catholic Church. Whatever way you worship and wherever you find Jesus is wonderful. Just sharing a little bit of my story.