The Movie Maker

He wasn’t surprised when the e mail pinged on his phone.  It was a message he had been expecting.   Nodding his head as he opened the file,  he seemed to know what the request was before he read it.  Amazing - all it took was an Apple computer, some basic video editing skills, and a willingness to do the job for them to reach out to him.   Fortunately, it wasn’t steady work. However, every time someone he knew died,  he would be asked to do the video slide show that would be shown during the service.  

 He didn’t mind.  He had always viewed it as helping a family that he cared about.  In a way,  it was an honor.  But it was always difficult because he knew the people who passed away - sometimes very well. 

He wanted to do the job perfectly, giving each photo the right amount of screen time, correctly mixing young pictures with the old, using the appropriate transition, and having the proper background music.  It may have never been noticed by anyone else but him, but it was important that everything was just so.  After all, it was his personal tribute.  

It was difficult to piece these videos together.  He always cried because he knew this was a final farewell to someone he  cared about.  As he arranged the snippets of a person’s  life, he saw the changes age brings.  It was a reminder that he too, is mortal.

Especially this time.  This video was for a friend he had known for over 40 years.  Together, they helped build a church.  Both families knew each other well.  He watched their children grow up.  He so appreciated how his friend always asked about his son. So it didn’t matter that the family wanted it on short notice - he would give it his all. 

Unfortunately,  his computer wasn’t cooperating.  For whatever reason,  the files wouldn’t properly upload.  Maybe it was just too old.   And despite everything he tried and the hours worked on it, he only managed to complete a basic slide show.   Time pressure forced him to email it to the family who  inserted additional photos and used it for the service.  
This bothered him because he felt he let the family down.  In his mind,  this project required perfection, and he fell short.  

He heard it was well received.  Sadly,  he was unable to attend the service  because he had contracted COVID and was quarantined.   

For a day or two of his illness he began to wonder if someone was going to be doing a video of his life soon.  He thought about it.  His wife knew where the box with all the photos were, so it probably wouldn’t be that difficult.   Surely they would use the black and white picture of him as a three year old cuddling his favorite stuffed tiger, Tony.  Maybe a shot from his first fraternity formal.  Wedding photos.  Snapshots with each of his newborn sons.   A cherished photo taken with his Dad at the TPC golf course in Jacksonville.  

And there is only one song that could accompany his photo montage,  “Jessica” by the Allman Brothers.  He has always said that he wanted it played at his funeral, because you just can’t be sad after listening to it. Maybe it’s the tempo, or the guitar riff, or the piano. Hearing this marvelous instrumental always gives him peace and joy.  Other than that, he knew whatever was put together for him would be fine.  

Suddenly,  a flash of clarity ensued. If he wasn’t concerned about the tiniest details of his own photo montage, others had to to feel the same way too.  As sometimes happens,  he had overlooked a simple lesson.  Of course! The life movie wasn’t so much about the video itself as it was the person who was in it.  

He immediately made a vow. Going forward, he would quit obsessing over the minutiae of the project and look at the task with greater joy.  His work was always going to be acceptable.  But by making sure that love, rather than the pursuit of perfection, was his motivation for making the videos, it set him free.  The burden of absolute perfection was lifted from him.  

I smiled, posted the blog, then searched for the Allman Brothers on my iPhone.  Time to listen to Jessica.

Please like and share!

#loveisthebestmotivator
#allmanbrothersrule
#bestinstrumentalever


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God & The Rolling Stones

Image
  “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '” —  Jeremiah 29:11 .  It’s not often that I put a plan together that works. Normally, anything I come up with will almost certainly go awry, and that’s certainly how one of my latest schemes  began.  Amazingly, shortly after this plan of mine began to unravel, it turned 180 degrees and became one of the best things I’ve ever done. So, as a believer, I feel like that the Almighty had His hand in this - even if it was a Rolling Stones concert.  I still maintain that it was a good idea. The minute Stones concert tickets went on sale, I bought two pair - for us and another couple. Then greed took over my soul and I decided to speculate and buy four more tickets to sell at a ridiculous profit. If I played my cards right, I might have made enough money to buy a Maserati, or even a shopping basket full of groceries....
Read more

Joe Willie, Finebaum, And Me

Image
  When my cell phone rang, the name on the screen flashed Paul Finebaum. This wasn't an unusual occurrence because I had been writing jokes for Paul to use at his many speaking engagements.   We also occasionally ate lunch together.   No death threats please - I like Paul. While I don’t always care for his schtick, I know he’s not like his radio persona.  For example, once during a conversation, I told him how much I liked Pat Conroy, the great southern author. A few weeks later, Paul called me and said, “I’ve got Conroy on the show tomorrow. Why don’t you come up and meet him?  You can talk to him during the commercial breaks.”  An act of kindness I’ve never forgotten.   I digress. Unusual call or not, my curiosity was piqued. I picked up my cell, and after some chit-chat, Finebaum told me why he phoned.  “You know about that charity roast of me coming up in a couple of weeks?”  Of course I knew. The airwaves had been hawking it for ov...
Read more

Back In The Saddle Again

Image
I never officially retired from comedy.     I kind of faded into the sunset.  I suppose I could trace the time back to when Jay Leno quit the Tonite Show.  He tried to help me get together with Jimmy Fallon, but it just didn’t work out. And when I stopped writing jokes every day for Jay,  maybe the sense of urgency to “think funny” stopped.      But I firmly believe that the cumulative effect of my son’s drug addiction, coupled with him being shot, arrested, and spending 7 years in a federal prison, caused something to die in me.  It was comedy. What used to be a burning desire to write and perform shrunk to a pilot light. It didn’t seem to matter anymore. I have told close friends that dealing with all the problems my son had raped me of my spirit.  It was collateral damage from his drug use. Addiction sucks.   So, aside from the occasional smart alec remark on social media, I left comedy alone.  Oh, I would occasionally find ...
Read more