With today being the first palindrome in 909 years (02/02/2020), and with it also being groundhog day, it’s especially important to pause for a brief moment of reflection on the memorable film, Groundhog Day.

Bill Murray’s character in the movie, Phil, is caught in a cycle where he is forced to live one day over and over again until he became more self-aware, more compassionate, more empathetic, and overall, a more decent human being.  But in the long run, it wasn’t major changes to his day that made him a better person, it was minor corrections over time that caused a huge shift in his reality.  

In the beginning, every one of his days was about trying ineffectively to get his desires met, gratify his ego, and use and abuse other people.  Every day he made the same mistakes, over and over.   He suffered from his own lack of character.  

Gradually, he became aware that he would spend the rest of eternity in this empty, shallow existence.  So after accepting that nothing really mattered, and struggling through the classic stages of death and dying; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, he began his process of awakening.  He spent time improving himself by memorizing French poetry and learning to play the piano, and he started practicing patience and kindness, to the amazement of those who knew him before.  While he initiated these practices to impress others, he winds up respecting himself and relishing his own personal growth.

Many of us are bored, stressed, and exhausted and are attempting to find relief by escaping, by any means necessary.  But Phil, as an on screen example, helps us see what this third dimensional reality teaches all of us eventually – cause and effect.

When we fully acknowledge that everything we do triggers a chain of causation, we begin our mindful journey.  We begin to see more significance in each word, and in each action emanating from our being.  We begin to see our actions, and the inevitable reactions, with more clarity and wisdom instead of with resentment and blame toward others.

Phil reincarnates each day and slowly begins living his life more deeply, dedicating time and attention to serving others, transforming not only his being, but all of his relationships, and the world around him.

He’s not a very spiritual or religious person, clearly, but with so much time on his hands, and entirely predictable and boorish days ahead, he begins examining his life.  Humans have the ability to learn, see trends, and finally realize that we create our experience through how we interact with the world around us.

So when you are about to make that same old mistake again, realize that if you change one little thing, then everything else might change as well.

In the movie, Phil, the groundhog, sees his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter ahead.  Phil, the weatherman, and Murray’s character announces, “I’ll give you a winter prediction. It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.”

But today, on 02/02/2020, the groundhog didn’t see his shadow.  It’s going to be an early spring, my friends!  It’s gonna be warm, it’s gonna be bright, and it could last the rest of our lives.