What a joy to watch Julie and Julia, which transports us back to another time and another state of mind, while offering a contrast to life in the 21st century. The fun watching Julia Child as embodied in Meryl Streep kept me smiling for the entirety of the movie and afterwards as well.
Sharing Julia’s thrill shopping at the Paris markets is a lovely reminder of how something we often take for granted can be so pleasurable. Admittedly we may not be shopping at the open markets of Paris but many of us have the opportunity to shop at local farmer’s markets and if we can slow down for a few moments and take it all in the thrill of it just may show up.
For anyone who loves to cook, or eat, this film is a must see. To witness the passion that erupts from the thrill of eating, and that also can come from cooking, is a reminder that sometimes it really is the little things in life that bring us the most pleasure-not that creating such meals is a little thing.
The contrast between Julia’s light heartedness, in spite of her seriousness of the task at hand, and poor Julie’s stress is also a reflection of how much life has changed in the last fifty years. How much pressure we feel to perform and keep up, rather than following our hearts. But in the end Julie is also able to bring joy to those around her through her delicious meals and experience her own sense of accomplishment.
The joy of mastery, of whatever we choose, is a heartfelt achievement of personal satisfaction. Perhaps it is time to reflect on something that each of us would love to master and take the steps to achieve this.
