I have always been a movie lover because I adore the way films can share messages. Sometimes they provide insights about ourselves, and other times they give us insights about the lives of others. Cinematography has the capability to transfer us to a different world entirely or take a microscope at the world we exist within. Needless to say, there are a number of ways movies impact people during the viewing experience. One such movie that does an excellent job of this is Last Holiday, staring Queen Latifah.
 
In the movie, the protagonist, Georgia Byrd, is told she has a terminal illness. And because she cannot afford the expensive treatment, she is given mere weeks to live. Instead of moping around her house counting down her final days, she decides to do something for herself. Live the life she always wanted to live and be the person she always wanted to be. She leaves her job with an employer who was unappreciative of her work and goes on one last holiday to do the things she always wanted to do. This leads Georgia to pack her bags and head out on an international trip to the Czech Republic, dressed in the most fabulous wardrobe of her life, and tasting the most delicious food from her favorite chef. She becomes her authentic self, doing what she had written down in her scrapbook of possibilities, a book she compiled for years about the things she wanted to do with her life. I do not intend to give away the ending of the movie, so I will not share any more of the plot and leave you at that.
 
I always thought it was interesting that it took a life-threatening illness for Georgia to reach for her dreams. There was nothing ever stopping her from accomplishing them other than herself. Georgia was her own worst enemy. I think this is a very common sentiment among people. We always think, I’ll do that another day or I’m not ready for that yet, which hinders our life experiences. This somewhat relates back to my younger years asking my parents for a pet.
 
When I was in elementary school, I was too young, too inexperienced to take care of another living being according to my parents. Then, once I was old enough – mature enough in my parent’s eyes – I was in high school and shortly leaving the house. So, they didn’t want to get a pet again, and I was told to just wait until I was out on my own. Needless to say, my dreams of getting an animal were effectively evaded by my parents. The perfect time to get a puppy or kitten never existed, there was always a reason that could be used to justify waiting just a couple more years. No matter what the thing you want to do in life (getting a pet, buying a house, going on a trip, changing careers, ... etc.), there will always be reasons to rationalize waiting.
 
We may think we’re too young to make a decision to move across the country to follow our dreams. Then, we get older and established and we are too old to settle down in a new place. When we are young, we feel that we need to get the standard 9-5 job wherever we can so that we can support ourselves. Then when we are older, we get potentially stuck in one area of expertise, too afraid to go after a dream job and switch career paths all together. We get settled, thoroughly stuck in our ways, thinking that there is never a chance to live the life we always dreamt of. And sometimes it takes a reality check moment to come along and change that, often of the negative variety. It takes losing one’s job to give some people enough courage to pursue their dream position, breaking up with a partner to value their own self-worth, or living with a bad roommate to decide to move out and live on your own.
 
There will always be moments in our lives where we hold ourselves back, when we look at that dream journal and say to ourselves that we will do it another day. But life is a fickle thing. You never know how much more time is left, and only live with regrets with things not done in the past. What is stopping you from living your dream life? How would you spend your last holiday? This article is your sign to do it today, be that person today. Because you know what? You’re worth it.

– Vanessa Davis
 
Vanessa is a master’s student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service.