Long time, no write!
I haven’t had much to say because I’ve been both busy and void of any sort of social life. I don’t know why (actually, yes I do and I wrote about it here) but I just have had no interest in being around other humans. Not physically, at least.
I’ve written in the past about loneliness and that loneliness persists, but I’ve actually been able to enjoy my solitude. I’ve been more creative, learned more, and explored more. Not outside because I’m not the hiking type. But emotionally, yeah. While I still like people, I feel infinitely more peace away from people. At least for now.
But this post isn’t about that. This post is about a rat in Paris.
I’m about to completely spoil Ratatouille, so if you haven’t seen it…stop reading!
In the movie Ratatouille, Remy’s a rat with lofty dreams of becoming a chef. But he’s, you know, a rodent. So his dream seems far out of his reach. Instead, he finds himself behind-the-scenes and under a hat, puppeteering a clumsy young man named Linguini. It’s through Linguini that Remy gets a taste of what it would be like to be a real chef…but with none of the credit.
The two are essentially living a lie. Linguini feels mounting pressure to keep up the performance of a faux master chef, while Remy hides away, never allowed to be his full self. What’s a dream if you can’t be free while living it?
So many of us wake up and hammer ourselves into an acceptable, uncomfortable shape in order to achieve our “goals”—but at what cost?
Yeah, you got the job you worked 10 years to get, but you sit in your car in the parking garage deep breathing every morning before slogging through the day. Yeah, you finally saved up enough for that vacation you thought you wanted, only to spend it snapping polished photos for Instagram rather than enjoying the experience.
And obviously, I do the same. Here’s me at a bookstore posing instead of actually browsing for books, ha.
Anyway, the pressure builds and Remy and Linguini just can’t keep it up. They have to come clean and set themselves free. Backs now against walls, Remy and his family of rats end up cooking for a hardcore food critic and Linguini admits that he’s not the mastermind behind the kitchen doors.
And you know what happens next?
The critic writes a warm review. He admits that while not everyone can become a master chef…a master chef could be anyone. He says Remy is brilliant. And all’s well until…the health inspector shuts down Linguini’s restaurant and the critic loses his job and his credibility.
Ouch.
But that’s not the end.
I’ve seen and admired those who can rebuild after being stripped of worldly markers of success. Sometimes by choice. Like my fave Scarlxrd, who was once a popular goofy Youtuber, but wiped it all and re-emerged as a successful screamo rapper.
I’m sure people in his life were perplexed. Doubtful, even. But he disappeared and emerged cooler, louder, and draped in all black, unafraid to be what was truer to him. Even if it turned others away.
Remy, Linguini, and the food critic live their truth and “lose it all” (because, I mean who wants a kitchen full of rats all up in their food!). But in the end, they gain their peace of mind. Together, they open a small restaurant where Remy can freely cook, the critic can freely enjoy, and Linguini no longer has to perform. Everyone is happier. Do they have proper acknowledgment and praise from the world at large? No. But even still, they’re living the dream.
In the real human world, I’ve read testimonies on LinkedIn from professionals who worked their asses off to make it into major companies and prestigious fields. After burnout or lay-offs or contract terminations, they end up switching gears and living their best lives working at bakeries. Or on a farm. Or helping with a small businesses.
Anyway, I share all this to say…
If a brain surgeon can quit his job and find more peace in nature, so can you.
If a goofy YouTuber can rebrand into a screamo rapper, so can you.
If a rat in Paris can rebuild, so can you.
The virtual Black Girl Book Fair is back for part 2! In October we’re getting spooky and celebrating Black women in horror. We’ve already hit 1,000 tickets!
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