Seeing Myself in Julie

Tonight I had a very rare and wonderful opportunity to go to a movie on my own and see whatever I wanted. I had no one with me to influence my decision of what I would fill my mind with over the next couple of hours...it was my choice entirely. I chose to see the very inspirational "Julie and Julia," a film about two true stories. Story #1: The early days of Julia Child and how she went to a French cooking school in Paris when she could barely boil an egg, and learned to be a French Cuisine master; and later use her knowlege to publish a classic cookbook. She grew to be the authority on cooking to every American cook. Story #2: Julia Powell who, having a love of cooking, decided to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (the said classic cookbook of Julia Child) and write about it on a blog. Her blog and inspiration from Julia Child became the catalysts of her finding purpose in her own life and this project catapolted her writing career.

I loved the movie. Meryl Streep played Julia Child, and her performance was absolutely Oscar-worthy. But the film effected me more than what I was anticipating. I saw parallels to my own endevors that were spooky...they were so similar. Julie was looking for something important to do. She wanted more than anything to be a writer. So do I. She had written a novel. I have started two. She was a blogger. Well, I'm working on that... She not only loved to cook, but she found it comforting, a way of taking stuff off her mind. Me? The same. Its what I do to feel like I know about something...like I can do something. I, like Julie, have a sense of satisfaction in knowing that I can put some chicken in some flour and then into hot oil and it turns golden brown and delicious. I take absolute joy in serving a perfect peach cobbler or spectacular chocolate cake. It's something that I can do that not everybody can. (Or at least I think I can...)

So, this Julie decided one day to write about her cooking and her life changed. Well, I'm not really expecting that, but I found it reassuring to know that someone besides me feels this way about the craft and art of food; and that big spectacular things come from very simple ideas, and simple people. That's how God works.

I think I'm going to go out tomorrow and buy Julia Child's cookbook. Maybe I'll be famous too.