A picture really does say a thousand words…
What follows is a powerful scene from the 1991 film, Hook, with Robin Williams.
Peter Pan has grown up to become a very successful business executive. However, success came at a cost.
Peter (played by Williams) has long lost his childlike sense of dangerous wonder. Life is no longer an adventure to be lived, but rather a deal to be closed and a problem to be solved.
And while Peter is busy closing deals he has, little by little over time, subtly veered off course until, finally, he’s lost touch with what matters most in this crazy but precious thing we call life.
I once heard a preacher say,
“I’ve never sat next to a dying man who told me he wished he’d spent more time at the office.”
Back to “Hook”: at one point early in the movie when tensions were high and fuses were short, Peter snaps at his children in anger. Their spirits are crushed.
Peter’s wife looks at him and says with urgent tenderness, “Peter, you are missing it.”
Life is precious. Don’t miss it.
Laugh. Dance. Build a fort. Color a picture. Go for a walk. Watch the sunset. Turn off Tiktok and meet up with a friend. Take it in. Slowly.
Whatever you do, just don’t miss it.
nw