If you haven’t read part I of this story, please click here to make sure you can catch up. This story’s a good one, and one you’re going to want to read fully.
Thirty minutes prior, I was pulling out of the gym in shame, and now I was at the movies (on a school night)?? What an interesting evening. In case you were curious, I had zero hesitation opening my car door to walk into the theater. Something magical was about to happen. I just knew it.
Rushing about to get here, I also realized that I needed a $5 bottle of water for the show and was thrilled I had time to buy it despite the hustle to get there on time. With water in my hand and a smuggled-in bag of grapes, I headed to theater 8 to see what this movie was about.
If I’m really honest, I originally bought Rachel Hollis’ book because of social media. So many of the beautiful souls that I follow on social media had shared that they loved Girl, Wash Your Face, and they were so inspired by this author. And I don’t mean one or two, I mean a LOT. This book is a phenomenon.
Social media (in all of its simulated perfection and photoshopped glory) allows us to broaden our minds and to connect with people, concepts, and ideas that we would have never been exposed to without that app being on our phone. And in a very Sally Albright way, I was here at the theater tonight because I wanted to “have what she’s having” – – to experience joy, motivation, inspiration, and if a night at the theater could make that happen, count me in.
As I bought my ticket, it was 100% clear to me that I needed to be inspired. I had just let myself be intimidated by some girl at the gym that I’ll never see again. I let the way I looked in my workout pants (that I’ve since returned!) keep me from walking into the gym. In my mind, there was NO WAY that motivated people would let this happen. Maybe Rachel Hollis had the secret, and just maybe she was going to share it with me on the screen.
What I did next was one of those things that people say they are afraid of: I went to a movie by myself. Aren’t fears a funny thing? As much as many of you can’t believe that I would be afraid to walk into a gym… There’s another group of folks who would get nervous about solo movies. Not one of my fears, thankfully.
I found a seat close to the entrance yet near the middle and settled in. There were some chatty ladies to my left and behind me, clearly friends that had vowed to see this movie together. I imagined that they had read the book two times, listened to the podcast, and got together regularly to talk about it over coffee. Rather than listening to their excited banter about being at this one-night-only show, I decided to look online to see what this movie was about (since I hadn’t really checked that detail out.)
Made for More was the title. Interesting. I could get behind that.
Very quickly, i darkened my phone and decided not to read the internet spoilers and instead just to soak in whatever this experience was about to become. The entire evening had been way too serendipitous to let my curiosity spoil anything about it. I needed to trust. With mere minutes to spare, surely I could wait to watch it unfold.
Documentaries are a little different in the theater (or at least this one was.) It started a little without notice. Meaning, there were no previews, and in my theater, they didn’t even dim the lights. The ladies to my left definitely needed a queue that the movie was starting (or had a really important story to finish) and continued talking for the first few minutes of the movie. You would think that this face on the big screen would be enough of a queue, but alas, it was not.
Not wanting any distractions, I did something I rarely do at the movies: I moved my seat. I found a new spot in the section of closer seats down front where nearly no one was sitting, where it was quiet and I could watch without hearing neighboring noises.
About two minutes later, a lady appears to my left in the aisle and says “Hi. Are you here by yourself? Can I sit with you?”
“Of course,” I responded, moving my purse and letting her through to the other side of me. How do you say no to that? As she grabbed a seat near me, she smiled and offered me some of her popcorn. Definitely a first, and perhaps a first glimpse of the Rachel Hollis’ tribe.
Next, something (else) unexpected happened, my eyes started leaking. The afternoon had been hard. The gym experience had me shook. I had let myself down by not working out. I had been bullied by my inner voice. This stranger’s kindness had moved me to tears, in a very it’s-all-going-to-be-okay kind of way.
Rachel Hollis took the screen and told us the story of how she created her empire. She told stories about how she connected with her audience and built her tribe. She brought us all into the extraordinary women’s retreat she conceptualized and later produced, and she made us all wish we too were a part of Rise. She reminded us all that we were Made for More and encouraged that we were the only ones who could make our dreams happen and that action and determination were key ingredients to making it a reality.
Mostly: Rachel Hollis reminded me to wish again. She nudged me want it all. She stirred up something in me that had long been dormant: She dared me to dream again.
Before leaving the theater that night, I made it a point to say goodbye to my friend with the popcorn. She stood up and gave me a hug, and I hugged her back. This stranger had only exchanged popcorn talk with me, and I was full-on hugging her. We just experienced something together and we both knew it. We didn’t need to talk about it, or compare notes. We just knew we were in it together. And that, my friends is magic…
I don’t know if I could have gotten home faster that night if I had tried. I felt desperate to get home and to fire up my laptop. It was too late in there evening to chat with friends… and I had so much to say! First stop, I shared this instagram post to express to Rachel that she had touched yet another woman in this beautiful universe, and then I proceeded to pour my heart out that night on the ol’ blog.
When you’re writing from inspiration, the words fly from your fingertips and you want to share every delicious detail you can. That’s exactly how I felt that night, and for me… that too is magic.
Since walking out of that theater on Monday night, I’ve truly seen a shift in myself. I’m cutting through the bullshit a little bit more and incorporating the concepts I heard Rachel speak about. I’m realizing that there is enough time for what I want to achieve as long as I start now, and I’m committed to making it happen.
And, of course, I’ve downloaded the audio version of Girl, Wash Your Face… and I can’t wait to listen to it.
This story’s not over, and there’s definitely more to come: I am brave, I am bruised. I am who I’m meant to be. This is me.
I’ll share what I learned when we’re back together next time… xo