Friday, May 7, 2010

What if we stopped asking what if?

In the new film Letters to Juliet actress Vanessa Redgrave shares her ageless wisdom with actress Amanda Seyfried, “The most powerful words you’re given are…what if. Everybody uses them! No matter where you walk, we’re always asking what if? What if I had done that? What if I changed my mind? What if I let go of the hand belonging to the person I should’ve been in love with?”



Based on the use of these two words, I’d love to see the research on how many products are purchased at the mall, cars are sold, television shows are watched or new songs are fallen in love with.



Once locked onto a solid What If…the system stands wide open to fill the void created by the What If.



When you feel empty…what do you choose to fill it with? I once had a doctor scream at me for drinking too much water. “You don’t need 120 ounces! Your heart can’t handle that large of a flush!”



When face to face with an ear shattering What If…we tend to lean harder on friends, coworkers or family members who claim to know you best but have never been inside the head consumed by the What If Monster.



What if your hard work and dedication was finally recognized in that building you race off to every Monday thru Friday? Seriously…would you truly be happy? I don’t have anything to back me up but I swear success is fed by a flooded desire to prove people wrong—without someone generating just enough silence to create doubt…you’ve got nothing to prove.



To call What If a buddy opens the imagination…what if you spent a little more time doing something that made you happy? Sounds selfish doesn’t it? You get two days, 48 hours, a bunch of seconds combined to make up a lot of minutes to be you—your birthday and Mothers and Fathers day—the rest of the year is already spoken for.



How do you do it?



I remember how my father reacted while driving through Yellowstone National Park…the only thing he wanted to do on his vacation was fish. Yep…he thought, “What if I landed the world’s largest trout? People at work might in fact be a little jealous.” It didn’t happen—we the tiny people of the step father’s clan completely took his dream and trashed it.



What if our fighting and bickering in the overcrowded backseat of that rust bucket of a car called an International Travel-all didn’t unwrap his world? Might we the children figures from the big ole state of Montana have earned a trinket that read, “Thank you for visiting our nation’s largest national park?”



What if my dad didn’t have long arms and he couldn’t reach back to swat the legs pressed into his back totally wiped out from so much driving? What if cell phones and texting had been invented three decades earlier? What if there were more booger buddies in the world? I can’t imagine what it would be like knowing your back is always covered and the snot canal is completely clean…What if people weren’t afraid to say, “Whoa! Weapon of mass destruction on the left side…time to seize control of that green missile!”



The problem with What If is our addiction to the assumption it constantly creates. That’s how sick I am! I’m assuming you’re like me and together we’re not only consumed by larger than life appearances of a What If but we’re willing to take each other’s What If’s off our backs to make the journey toward the horizon a little lighter.



Taxes; city, state and national are created by elected officials constantly asking What If. Like an architect, their sole mission is to live, love and protect the communities we keep and no decision or vote is tossed out without physically putting their system through a What If gut check.



Letters to Juliet is about love and its incredibly powerful curse on the masses. After fifty nearly forgotten years Vanessa Redgrave gets to be with the man she fell in love with as a teen. I know what its like to be away from the dogs for a day…fifty years? They’d look deep into my eyes, showcase a really cool pant I assume is a smile then loudly bark in the way they ordering me to break open a fresh box of puppy treats.



What If you started locating blooms for your What If’s?



Life isn’t like Edward in the Twilight series…you don’t get to come back with a pearl colored face with a heart meant for one. What If you were Bella? What If you were Eddie Vedder of the west coast rock band Pearl Jam…would you take back what you said in the 90’s about Ticketmaster being an evil empire? He’s never been happy with the idea that his efforts of being unlocked from Corporate America would make him the voice of Generation X. What If he hadn’t been so independent? Would my daughter be the incredible leader she is? Grunge wasn’t just a look…it’s a way of life.



Outside of What If…is there anything heavier to carry? What about Can You? Will You? What do you think? Does this make my butt look fat? Are you listening to me? Did you hear what you just said? Anyone close to me knows the golden Arroe question: How did that sound?



I bet Ryan Seacrest has it written on the palm of his hand, on his private Face Book page and on the inside of his underwear. Nobody gets anywhere in radio without constantly asking How did that sound? What If I stopped? Instantly you’ll become a used to be. You used to be that guy…um, that voice…that, whoa…maybe it wasn’t you.



arroecollins@clearchannel.com

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