Season 2: Episode 9 - A Thousand Words

What do we do with limited time, words, money, etc. Are we thoughtful or desperate in our decision-making? Please tune in to A Thousand Words.

Transcript

Darline Berrios: 0:03

Hey everyone, welcome to Share Your Sparkle and I'm your host, Dr. Darline Berrios. This is season two, episode nine 1000 words. Hi everyone, I'm going to get started with a memory a quote that I saw somewhere and some words that I found on a tree this morning. So this is to my French. I don't know if they're French actually. So whoever's listening in France, this is for you. I feel like I need to keep you connected somehow. But it seems like you're staying connected anyway. But yesterday, and this is for everybody else. If you actually travel there someday, I highly recommend the hotel where we stayed. It is Best Western. I know that sounds strange. Because here in the United States, best westerns aren't considered like hula. But in Paris, there's this Best Western premier hotel. This is in French, so I don't know how to say it. Leave it something with literary list one. And it's located on 15 roof deck, Constantinople, in Paris, France. The neighborhood is really quiet. It's not a one way street. And yesterday. Oh, sorry. Let me say a little bit more about the hotel. It's actually has a theme related to Marcel Proust, who was a French novelist. He wrote a book called in search of lost time, and based on his life psychologically, and allegorically. That's what it says here in Botanica. It says the title in French too, and I'm going to I don't know how to speak French because when I went to Paris, All I said was, merci beaucoup like over and over again with a huge smile. And that worked because everyone was wonderful. But a lot of chairs that temps perdu. See, I don't know what I didn't even speak besides Merci beaucoup. And, but in Spanish, it's la busca del tiempo para de donde. So there it is in Spanish. And there is like writing on the walls like related to his work. And it seems like it was like a little museum. Honestly, really nice, small neighborhood, or quiet neighborhood really close walking distance to one of the major, like Metro stops. So if you're listening, and maybe you know exactly where I'm talking about across the street, this is why my memory yesterday, randomly, I thought of this fruit store, it's not a stand, because it's literally a small store that you walk into, probably smaller, or not as even big as an eight by 10 like bedroom. And there was just really good fruit there. I remember buying some oranges and bananas. And that was my memory. So for my French listener, I don't know if you know where that is in the world. But and for everybody else, I highly recommend that hotel. It was it was really great. And it's not like in the hustle and bustle of Paris. But it was close to a lot of different things. And it was quiet. And I remember the room having this little balcony area. I don't know if you can walk out to it. But you could definitely open the windows, and you have your own little terrorists. And it was really nice. So from for the French listener, that's for you. And for everybody else, you should definitely stay there someday. The other thing I saw quote, I can't remember if it was from my like momentum app that like has different quotes every day or if I read it somewhere. But it said and I'm paraphrasing stop big problems when they are little. I love that. I love that. Stop big problems. When they are little. Wouldn't that be really great? you kind of know when something's going to be a big problem. Take for example, my beautiful dog being when I got him he was like 20 pounds and he was like Oh so cute jumping on you, you know biting your hand off. And now he's almost 60 jumping on you biting your hand off or your butt. Not so fun, right? I knew that. problem, or when my sister taught him right to hear bite your blanket, and we'll pull it and we'll play tug of war. Now he does that with every blanket. Hmm. Cute when I was little not so cute when he's big. And he's still not full grown yet. So stop big problems when they are little. I thought that was a great quote. And the last message before I get started, or I really started, but the last message I have was there were some words I found on a tree this morning. So you know, well, if you've been listening, I hike every morning, or I try to in coming down the mountain. There's a section in on the trail that's really wet, I'm talking about like, muddy water just pools there. So there is a smaller trail off the main trail that you could just take that kind of bypasses that section. And in the woods there on a tree, it says, God says, You're beautiful. That's what's written on the tree. God says, You're beautiful. So that's what the tree said, literally. All right. 1000 words. I think that this might trigger, not memory. But for some of you the phrase a picture's worth 1000 words. But this is actually literally about 1000 words, in a film a movie, who knew maybe you knew about this, but Eddie Murphy and Kerry Washington have this movie called 1000 words that came out in 2012. I had no clue at all. And I think within the past week, I was watching TV, and I caught the last, I would say 15 minutes of the movie where things really kind of go down. And if you want to watch the movie, without knowing what happens, you might want to stop listening, because I'm basically going to tell you everything that happens in the movie. And it's 1000 words by Eddie, I mean, and Eddie Murphy and Kerry Washington are in it. But if you don't care to watch it, but you still want to know about it. Here we go. So I got to the part where it was really like, like I said, the film was he had duct tape on his mouth, and he was talking to the tree with his mind. So let me kind of tell you what this this movies about. I'm just going off here. I know Wikipedia, right? But, um, to explain the plot. So in the movie, Eddie Murphy is a literary agent, and he's a talker, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, he's, he's a big shot, he gets all these great deals. And, and he's trying to get this what they're calling like a new age self help guru named Dr. xinja. To sign with him. Right and, or with his company. And he's like, no, I can get a deal with him. I can do this. And everyone's trying every like publisher, or literary agent is trying to get Dr. Center to get on board with their their company. And the way Eddie Murphy does it is he goes to his retreat center, Dr. Cengiz Retreat Center, and he joins one of the meditation classes. And in it, you know, people get a guided metta meditation. So Dr. senja is talking and saying, you know, telling them what chance to use and everybody around them, or who's performing the meditation and listening is you know, chanting own and then he's just guiding that person just guiding them. And Eddie Murphy's, you know, in his business suit, which is really funny, while everybody's in their yoga gear. And he's following along at first Eddie Murphy is and then he's like, oh, man, then he goes into mama say mama sama macusa of course in Eddie Murphy style, right? And then he just kind of goes off and pretty much fakes. It's he's having this enlightenment moment and then Dr. Kissinger, you know, pulls him aside and it's kind of like, Are you okay, but that's his, his end to get alone with the New Age self, self help guru and Doctor Center, you know, sees right, right through Eddie Murphy is trying to do. But he eventually he signs, you know with Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy leaves the retreat center. You know, thinking he is the king of all literary agents because he just signed this big deal with Dr. Cynthia Buddle, what happens is that night A Bodhi tree magically appears in Eddie Murphy's backyard. Or jack McConnell's back yard and the tree of so let me explain what a Bodhi tree is quickly. It's a large an ancient sacred fig tree. And it is believed the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. You know, sitting by this tree. So this tree suddenly just overnight appears. And then, Eddie Murphy is like, What's this? What's going on? And the doctor Cengiz like I don't know what this is like. He comes over, because he notices Eddie Murphy notices that every time he speaks, that leaves start falling off the tree. So he thinks this is like a joke or curse like what's going on? Remember, he's a blabber, this big talker. And doctors and just like, no, this is not a joke. I don't know, I've never seen this before. I'm going on a retreat somewhere off in the world. I think somewhere in South America, I'm going to talk to the other people I know. Let me see if they've heard of anything like that. And he's like this curse, you got to get rid of this curse. Once again, every time he speaks, leave start coming off the tree. He's like, well, you're connected to this tree. Now. You're, you are connected with this tree. And he's like, what do you think happens when a tree loses its leaves. And he's like, you're gonna die. And jack is like, no, like, come on. Now. Stop this, cut this out. Find out like how to fix this. Because like I said, he's a blogger, right? And it's even the written word like, he can't even write stuff down without the leaves falling off. So Dr. senja leaves on his retreat. Eddie Murphy is left for three days, trying to figure out how to survive without talking. And I'm going to just go back to the the depth explanation of the plot here. With jack forced to pick and choose his words, communicating with others becomes difficult and full of misunderstandings. These misunderstandings caused him to book deals. His job, and his wife and his wife is Kerry Washington. She walks out on him when she thinks his sudden silence is due to him not loving her anymore. When he tries to explain the tree to her, she doesn't believe him. And only Jack's assistants assistant sorry. realize he's telling the truth. And the assistant. The relationship between him and Eddie Murphy is really hilarious. This is a young kid. It kind of reminds me of that relationship between Anne Hathaway and the Devil Wears Prada. Oh my God, why can't I think of that big gadget actress where she just does anything for him for her and similar situation in here with the assistant and Eddie Murphy. And only Jack's assistant is, is the one that realizes he's telling the truth. And he goes to Jack's house. And you know, he sees at one point. jack is just drunk, like crazy because he's already lost his wife, lost his job, lost two big book deals his job. And he's trying to get him to stop talking. But jack is drunk. punches him kind of like you know, knocks him out. Because he gets to the point where he's so desperate. jack is so desperate Eddie Murphy so desperate that he doesn't know what to do. He's like, forget it. If I have this is it then this is it. I'm going to go. He wakes up the next morning with duct tape on his mouth. And he goes to the tree and kind of like accepts what's happened in where he is. And there's about one branch left with I don't know, maybe like 11 Words reliefs, I'm sorry on it. And at that point he finally gets in touch with Dr. cynjohn. He's like, it just kind of things is like I didn't find out anything from the conference. He's like, just kind of like make peace with all your relationships and it is what it is. So with this one branch left Eddie Murphy, or jack tries to go around and, and reconcile with the different people in his lot, the different people around him. So to his This is a, I thought this was a beautiful scene. He goes to Kerry Washington, and they have a baby together, wherever she is, in his wife in the movie. And I believe, sorry, if I don't remember the order correctly, he goes, You, me. And then you know, he puts his hand on the baby. We are eternity. And then he kisses him both and walks away. He goes to his mom, his mom is in Assisted Living Center, she has dementia. Every time in the past in the movie, when she sees him, she thinks that Eddie Murphy is actually her husband, right? His dad and, and there's a lot of pain there because I believe his dad left when he was younger. And you know, she talks to Eddie Murphy as if that's her husband, and she's like, jack has so much pain, and I wish she would let it go. And then he goes in one last time on her birthday. And he you know, in this instance of the scene, he says yes, that he is, you know, her husband, because she doesn't know who he is exactly. And she just starts talking to him and saying it's my birthday. And same thing I wish jack would let go all this pain. And he just, you know, I believe kisses his mom as well and says, Ma, I love you, and then walks out after that scene. And then he goes to a grave site. And in it, or at the on the tombstone, it has his father's name. And he's standing there. And there are three words left. I'm sorry, yeah, three words left or three leaves left. And he says to his dad, I forgive you. And then at that point, thunder, rain comes down, he clenches his chest and goes down. It looks like he's dying. For a few minutes, you don't really know if he if he has died. And then the phone rings, his cell phone rings. And you see his hand reach for and it's his assistant and his assistant is telling him the tree just like blossomed, new leaves like it's it's alive again. And Eddie Murphy is like his back. So it comes up. Turns out that he ends up writing a book from this experience, you know, the last few minutes. It's called 1000 words and his assistant in that is now like a big literary agent, then he loves the doctors in general because he like he died, his old self died. And his new self. He's like, no, this is my real self. You know, he appreciated that experience, even though he hated that passenger while it was happening. But now he's like, thank you so much. And he has this rejuvenated. sense, or newness about him? Because his old self died. He goes to repair his relationship with Kerry Washington, of course Who wouldn't? Right. And, you know, a few other things happen before the film ends, but it just made me think about in life, how if we have a limited something, and we know it, right, whether it's limited time, money limited? Gosh, I don't even know what I mean. Let's take this literal example. Like let's say you only had 1000 words left to say. I understand the humor here as a podcast casters talking about words. I feel like when we're limited, we either really careless and just like don't know what to do and kind of crazy about it. Right and either spend it or lose it quickly. Or it makes us pause and we're really cautious and thoughtful. About how we're going to use the time words, money, whatever the thing is, right? That you're, that you have. And he kind of goes through that the kind of goes, he goes through those phases. I mean, one of the funny parts, or I think it's funny in the film, he's in front of the tree and like testing it out. And he starts saying, I want my baby that baby, baby back, baby back. And well, my baby Baby, you know, like the Chili's commercial thing because he's like, Is this for real, and he, he burst out into this Chili's commercial jig, or a jingle. And I feel like, we're like that sometimes. We're either we don't know what to do. And then we're really like, desperate and, and hasty about our decisions. Or it makes us really thoughtful. And more meaningful in our approach to whatever it is that we don't have that much of left. 1000 words is about like three to four pages, I think, like Google attached as a Google document, and I was like, What's 1000 words? And I didn't even know if I've said like, 1000 words in this podcast already. But what if you only had 1000 words left? To say? What would you say? Who would you say them to? We probably have way more than 1000 words, I hope. But being more thoughtful and meaningful about the things that we say. I think that's a good thing. And every once in a while reminding ourselves of Hey, what if I have 1000 words? What's really important? What do I really say? What's just blabber? 1000 words. Think about it. Alright, people except your sparkle, surrender to it and allow it to be so until then. keep shining