I love movies. More specifically, I love the way life is portrayed in movies. From the perspective of the movie-watcher, everything that's made to mimic reality just seems more appealing - the protagonist's quirks are more endearing than annoying, you're able to see the strengths that make them valuable to the people around them, and the main character just seems to perfectly fit in their own world. The defining quality that made me love flicks like "Dumplin'" and "Me Before You" is the way that both Willowdean and Lou shined in their lives; they found joy in seemingly ordinary, inconsequential aspects of their day and focused on things they loved when life was tough. They inspired me to follow suit. While it's easy to become disenchanted with how commonplace our lives may seem, the secret to unlocking more joy is in viewing things from a rosy perspective and romanticizing the average.
The best way to go about finding yourself a pair of pink shades is to first seek out the little things that bring you happiness. Whether it's books, cleaning, work, making others laugh, color therapy, animals, or in the case of Willowdean Dickson, Dolly Parton, identify what makes you smile and look for it in your daily life. Wake up every day looking forward to noticing and appreciating things that you love, and you might be surprised at just how much more you smile when you're actively noticing all of the dogs you see in passing in a single day.
After you begin to notice how much joy there is in the outside world, take a look in the mirror while you're still wearing peach rimmed frames. Acknowledge the beauty of your quirks and flaws, examine your talents that are easily shown as well as the ones that aren't, look at your reflection and realize that your perception of yourself is not the same as others, and that's a good thing. It's okay to recognize your shortcomings for the sake of self-improvement, but don't let that prohibit you from falling in love with yourself. Picture yourself as the protagonist in your own movie. You have every right to live each day as though it's a cinematic masterpiece and be your most genuine self because you're the type of character that audiences will fall in love with.
Don't let your life become mundane because that's what you think it's supposed to be. More often than not, we reserve so many emotions, objects, and practices for special occasions that we lose the joy in the moment. By romanticizing your life and deciding that it's remarkable simply because it's yours, you will find a greater deal of happiness than you would have imagined.
