My Inner 'Rob Reiner'

 

As I watched much of the Rob Reiner special last night, some of which I knew about him. Yet, there was much I hadn’t known about him or his wife Michele.  The show demonstrated Mr. Reiner’s incredible creativity that I can say I had no idea about.  I was shocked that he hadn’t won an Oscar. But at the same time, he didn’t seem to be affected by that either. Mr. Reiner just moved along entertaining audiences across the globe, regardless of his personal life’s situations. That is a branch that is hard to reach—professional, remaining professional regardless of one’s own circumstances in life. Yes, we all battle with it, life’s circumstances that is. Yet not all of us are so exposed to other’s views. We may be our town’s whisper, if that, which can be healthy, surely a bit more manageable way to live.

My goal has always been, not to be noticed. Yet, to make good money to survive, support my family and be able to give money and time to charitable organizations. I can say, I have been able to go mostly under the wire with my life to a degree. I don’t want fame, but I want to create understanding with my writing. Understanding enough to give compassion to other’s plights that I may understand or at least be open to understanding.

So, going back to the Rob Reiner special last night. The creativity he projected was quite immense. A few years ago, I’d began to realize I was gravitating too much to one style of writing stories, screenplays. I decided to zig when I was zagging. That’s how you create your own success, you take risks.

As I watched the program last night, this is what Mr. Reiner had done in his career and why it was so successful and enjoyable for audiences. He was able to connect with a depth of understanding that touched hearts. That is truly profound. On top of that, he was politically reasonable, balanced even.  I don’t think many people will understand that or even have thought of that by now.

Many people guess what other people’s lives may be like, yet they have no clue most times. Towards the end of the show last night, I began to realize that my zigging and zagging in my writing was intelligent. However, I began to wonder last night, ‘how do I connect the dots of humor I’ve noted in real life as a sidebar in a movie?’ Where do I put those funny, awkward moments to draw in the emotion of the next catastrophe, or Aha! Moment, the next comedic wiggle?’ I know that I must show a derailment into comedy when I write drama. I’d been able to do this over the years when having speaking engagements. But creating a screenplay with that seems almost impossible. But yet, it’s been done. I now have to reach deep and pull out my inner ‘Rob Reiner’.---Jody-Lynn Reicher