In the final scene of the movie, The Fabelmans, a young aspiring filmmaker named Sammy meets his idol, the legendary director John Ford, played pitch-perfect by the late David Lynch. Ford asks Sammy to describe two cowboy western paintings hanging on his office wall. He then gives the boy some brief but poignant counsel.
“When the horizon’s at the bottom, it’s interesting. When the horizon’s at the top, it’s interesting. When the horizon’s in the middle, it’s boring as shit.”
Regarding artistic composition and shot framing, this is sage advice. But Ford wasn’t just talking about art and filmmaking.
He was talking about life.
Much of modern life is lived in the middle, geared towards predictability and security. We work average jobs, eat average food, consume average social media, stream average entertainment, and maintain average relationships.
In truth, there is merit to a calm and simple life. But only if we choose such a life intentionally.
However, if we’re not thoughtful, we risk turning into mindless robots, going through our days on autopilot. We can reach the end of our lives wondering where all the time went—along with our dreams—without ever having fully lived.
This life, this earth, is a magical, beautiful playground to explore and enjoy. The opportunity for adventure, however you define it, is all around us.
Perhaps, my thoughts were best voiced by the poet, Mary Oliver, when she said, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Whatever your plan looks like, consider steering clear of the boring-as-shit middle.
If you could use some help kickstarting your next evolution, visit my About page to learn how to work with me 1:1 as your guide and life coach.
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