Help Me...I'm FEELING!

Click here for the CLIP: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (credit: Movieclips)

A funny thing happened this weekend and maybe this has happened to you too.

It all has to do with noticing something for the first time even though I have watched it multiple times before.

The scene where the Grinch, played by Jim Carrey, realizes that he’s “feeling.”

The dramatic scene is so well done by Carrey that I had to replay it, repeatedly.

Why?

Because we’re in a pandemic and have all been faced with feeling a lot more than we’ve been accustomed to or wanted.

I concluded that all of this “feeling” is not just me, but all of us this year.

It’s been difficult on so many levels and I found this movie a respite for my emotions.

Here are three other conclusions that I realized while watching the movie:

WE COULD ALL USE A CINDY-LOU WHO IN OUR LIVES

How great is Cindy-Lou Who? She believes in the Grinch when no one else does; the Grinch doesn’t even believe in himself.

He lost his self-confidence years before when he self-isolated at the top of the mountain.

And so, just like Cindy-Lou Who, who is wise beyond her years, let’s all have more empathy and compassion for everyone; believing in others, especially ourselves.

SAYING SORRY HEALS THE SOUL

The end of the movie is so fantastic. The Grinch barrels down the mountain with Cindy-Lou wanting to return everything to Whoville so they could “Christmas.”

He jumps off his sled and announces: “I’m the Grinch who stole Christmas and… I’m sorry…” as he thrusts his wrists forward to be handcuffed.

What a great lesson here. He almost instantly changed from a cold being to a warm and honest one.

Cindy-Lou even says, “your face is…warm” when she pecks him on the cheek.

He not only lifted himself with his turn around and apology, but he also lifted everyone around him.

And how did that happen?

He heard them singing and he couldn’t understand why.

Which leads me to my next point…

FEELINGS ARE POWERFUL

The turning point for the Grinch is when he is so frustrated that even though he took (borrowed) everything, everyone had the audacity to stand in a circle and sing.

At which point, you see his facial expressions soften and eyes widen, and he says:

“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store…maybe, perhaps, Christmas means a little bit more…:

The Grinch is so overcome by his beating heart that it knocks him over.

And then the narrator says: “…In Whoville they say, the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day…”

Which is when he asks for the dog, Max, to help, “…help me! I’m FEELING!”

Regardless of age, profession, or where one lives in the world, we’ve ALL had to work through this uncertain time and through our very own feelings.

It’s the one time, in many lifetimes that we, as a collective, need support like never before.

So, let’s all be more like Cindy-Lou Who and check in with our friends and family the moment we’re thinking of them.

I can almost guarantee they need to hear from you.

The reward for you is the award for them: time and attention, perhaps the greatest gift of all.

And one final assignment, if you’ve never watched The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey as The Grinch, it’s a worthwhile adventure to journey into the innocence of simpler times and enjoy the show.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” ~Helen Keller

Happy Holidays, my friends.