Can You Hear Me Now

Wise to resolve, and patient to perform.

Homer

Until the pandemic put an end to it (as it did to too many traditions in my life), Linda and I loved going to the Riverview Theater for their annual holiday showing of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Even though I have seen it countless times over the decades, watching it on the big screen in a packed theater is completely different than the confines of my couch and television set. Not only were there people like me who knew most of the dialog by heart, I got to see children experience the magic of Bedford Falls for the very first time. The Bert and Ernie shout-out always made the little ones, and quite a few of us bigger people, laugh out loud.

I love the fact that I always find something new with each viewing — even at home on the TV. It’s not as if I see something I never noticed before, but rather that I find new ways to interpret familiar scenes. It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion where every passing year brings a different perspective.

Have you ever asked yourself the central question of the movie? What would the world be like if you had never been born? What differences would there be? Would they be as dramatic as those of George Bailey’s? Have you made the same kinds of differences in the lives of the people around you? Would the Mr. Potters of the world have more or less power and sway? Would your lack of existence be so significant as to change the name of a town?

Fun fact. Although It’s a Wonderful Life is now considered a Christmas classic, it was a box office flop upon its 1946 release. It took a 1974 clerical error allowing the copyright to lapse for the film to reach a broader audience. Television stations realized that they could run it for free and after years of near obscurity, the movie was given a second and much bigger lease on life.

What If

As we ease our way into 2025, many people are facing their recent New Year’s resolutions. Some wanted to lose weight. Others resolved to teach themselves something new. Still others wanted stop doing something they really ought not be doing. I am pointing at myself for that last one.

Instead of focusing on what we want to change about ourselves, how about resolving what we can do to make positive changes in the lives of others? What if the resolution wasn’t to lose weight, but to help others lose weight? What if the resolution was to help a friend stop smoking or cut back on alcohol? What if resolutions were crafted to make the resolutioner’s existence more important to the world around him or her? Would these be easier or harder to keep? Would you find that just many benefits came to you as they did to others?

George Bailey wanted to lasso the moon. He wanted to shake the dust of Bedford Falls off his feet and see the world. In his heart he knew there was more to life than working in a broken down savings and loan. In the end, though, he stayed put and lived the day-to-day grind that most of us struggle through.

However, by looking beyond himself he did more than he ever thought possible. He saved a child’s life and a man’s career. He allowed people to rise up from poverty. He brought joy into the homes of his customers. He was a father who was there for his children. He was a friend that picked others up when they were at their lowest. He was the reason his kid brother was alive to save all those lives.

He didn’t make resolutions to do all those things, yet he did them nonetheless. They were baked into his life of service to others, and ultimately, to himself. He may not have seen the world as he once set out to do, but he saw the humanity in it and that’s an even greater accomplishment.

The message of It’s a Wonderful Life is that George Bailey reshaped his own dreams in order to help make possible the dreams of those around him. He was a simple man, but his life was bigger than he could have possibly imagined.

2024 has come and gone and it’s time for all of us to grab our own rope and fling an end towards the sky. There’s a moon out there just waiting to be lassoed. Shake off your own dust and get busy. Who’s with me?

Buffalo gals won’t you come out tonight
come out tonight
come out tonight
Buffalo gals won’t you come out tonight
and we’ll dance by the light of the moon

Thank you for reading.

P.S. This article is the 50th post on Can You Hear Me Now. Despite the fact that writing personal stuff is much harder than my previous technical hogwash, I am happy I started this new adventure back in May. I am also extremely thankful for everyone who waded through one or more of my posts. Who knows what the future holds for my writing, but for now, being here is a very good thing and I hope you stick around for the rest of 2025.

When wheels slip and slide
spinning in place before falling behind
when the path ahead is slick with ice
and the path behind no better

I salt and I sand
I harden my resolve, I grit my teeth
and turning my tires into the mess
I drive like there’s no tomorrow