Inside Out 2

 Recently on the plane to Seattle I watched the sequel to the 2015 hit children's movie, "Inside Out." I can't believe that it's been 10 years since the first movie and that I'm now living in the Year of the Lord 2025, but every time I check my calendar, my emails, my Outlook, it's right there: 2025. There's so much I haven't done in my life! But I HAVE watched both Inside Out movies. They're not only funny and smart, but they carry a good message: we all have different impulses within ourselves that take over from time to time, and I see so many traits in the teenage Riley going to high school that I identify in myself looking back at 13-year-old me, but I still see some of those same traits taking over in 37-year-old me. My life is mostly Joy (played by Amy Poehler, which comforts me at least knowing someone older than me like Amy Poehler is still starring in movies) and a general status quo, sometimes with genuine bouts of fear which comes easily and suddenly (what will happen if Nvidia drops below its 52-week moving average?) to Disgust when weaving in and out of Costco lanes but they're all blocked by those giant shopping carts that crowd the space even though it's a giant warehouse, a logjam that backs up even to the parking lot where there are no spots..........anyone, to Anger which happens less often now but when it does escape the bottle it manifests itself in a violent way, sometimes at MJ's expense.....to Sadness, which I'm lucky to say I have a pretty good control over because my life isn't filled with sadness, but on days like today when I find out some difficulties in my mother's health I can feel the blue, shy teardrop-like character of Sadness (played by Phyllis from The Office, an excellent choice to display grief but in a cute way). The Inside Out series normalizes having all of those conflicting feelings at once, which is OK; we can't always be joyful, especially if something external happens, and sometimes we can let one or more of the other emotions take over. Sometimes after a bout of anger, I feel more calm. After fear, I feel a dopamine hit just being alive (this is what happens after a roller coaster, as well as after a favorite character survived in Squid Game). And sadness: it's OK to feel healthy levels of sadness, to know this world doesn't always go according to plan, happiness and sadness feel like opposite emotions but in many ways they are similiar in how strong they are and how much they embody the human spirit...we feel things and express ourselve.s Just as long as Anxiety and Ennui get in the picture and take over one's whole personality like in the second film......there are drugs for that. As I write this there is a fire alarm going off in our building because someone probably burnt their popcorn...I am feeling anxiety right now and want to set a foolhardy plan into motion to escape the noise!