#18 Culture shock

Seven Pounds. The movie that undid me.

After Eric died I found myself scrutinizing the things he left behind. One of those things is his facebook page. In the little section under your picture where you can write something it says, “Live Life Abundantly!” That is a perfect saying for Eric, because that is what he always did. I thought about that a lot, as did his other friends. Some of them ran a marathon in his name and made race t-shirts with that on it.

After we got home my husband and I decided to watch a movie that we’d had from Netflix for about forever. It was one he’d picked out (as they pretty much all are since I’m a failure at helping to manage our queue) and one I knew nothing about. It was called Seven Pounds.

This is a Will Smith movie about a man who accidentally kills his wife and child in a motor vehicle accident. I think there was alcohol involved. He feels so guilty that he steals his brother’s IRS agent ID and investigates people who he somehow knows will be perfect recipients for his organs to see if they are worthy. Of course you don’t know all of that while you are watching; in fact I just spoiled the whole movie for you. Sorry. He of course falls in love with the woman who is to receive his heart. He has one perfect evening with her and then goes to commit suicide in a way that will not tarnish his organs. He leaves her a note and at the end it says “Live Life Abundantly.”

I have no idea if Eric got the phrase from this movie or not, but needless to say there are parallels. No, Eric did not commit suicide, but he did donate his organs. When I saw that phrase at the end of the movie, I lost it.

I couldn’t move or breathe I was crying so hard. My poor husband didn’t know what to do.

Was it just random chance that we had that movie, and had had it for months but had always found better things to do than watch it?

I don’t really believe that Eric is still out there or that he can send us messages, but I do still talk to him. My 6 yr old once told me that Eric talked to him before school one morning. Who am I to say that didn’t happen?

Whether or not it was a message from beyond, I’ll never watch that movie again. But I will try to live by its message.