Every once in a while it occurs to me that my time on Earth is finite. It’s the thought that keeps me, and all of us, up at night. The planet is spinning on its axis, revolving around the sun – its motion terrifying in its ceaseless consistency.
Bill Murray’s work in the movie Groundhog Day is underrated: he walks a razor line between comedy and horror, waking up to the exact same day each and every day. Strangely, the premise of this film – that a man must re-live the same day again and again for eternity isn’t a story about immortality. Ultimately, it’s a parable about aging – a “cautionary tale” urging the viewer not to let his life fall into a numbing sameness of days. Instead, change things up. Take risks. Have fun. Do the thing you’re afraid you might not be able to do. Even if you fail at it, you’ll be able to say you gave it a shot. At least you’ll have done battle with the sameness of your days. It won’t slow down time, or stop the Earth’s rotation and revolution, but you’ll feel less like a hamster (or a groundhog) on a wheel.
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