Stars Wars - our only hope.

In the late 1970s, I watched Star Wars  for the first time. It was unlike anything I had seen. 

Luke. Leia. Han. Chewbacca. C3PO. R2D2. Vader.

These screen icons ignited my imagination and followed my generation into our 20s, 30s and now 40s.

The release of the prequels and the latest trilogy kept the story alive introducing a new legion of fans to the Skywalker family.

In 2017, the 8th film in the saga was released - The Last Jedi  and the writing was on Rey’s wall.

For the first time, the screen story and my life journey had strangely converged. Seeing Luke as an older man made me realise I was older too.

His death in The Last Jedi  unsettled me.

Seeing Luke disappear from his robe prompted more than just cinematic mourning but real life grief.

Why was I grieving?

Stopped by the reflection of my ageing face in the mirror one day, I realised.  

​I was mourning the passing of time.

I was a fresh faced 7 year old when I watched A New Hope. I was a newly wed when Phantom Menace was released. It was joyful and humbling to watch Force Awakens with my then 8 year old sons.

Life moved forward. I was no longer in original trilogy VHS playback mode - stuck in time watching the hopefulness of youth.

VHS evolved into DVDs.

The internet happened.

DVDs evolved into streaming.

I grew up.

As I got older and prior to any other Star Wars add ons, I always had the comforting presence of the characters I loved not too far away. Our DVD player got a thrashing - Star Wars films on loop.

With Return of the Jedi  in 1984, these characters became suspended in time. 

As far as we knew, the Empire was gone and the universe was still celebrating.

The characters had become immortalised and frozen - forever youthful.

We’d watch the original trilogy before school, after school and weekends. We would lose ourselves in hours of play and scene re-enactment. 

Unforgettable adventures with friends as we played with our Star Wars figures and spacecrafts for hours. Afternoons with the Jones boys up our street. Trading figures + cards. Jostling to see who would play the parts of Darth or Luke.

Happy days.

I’ve seen A New Hope over 200 times, the lines of each character embedded in my mind.

With the release of Force Awakens in 2015 though we saw the older version of the characters we love. The beautifully lived in and lined faces of Luke, Leia and Han. 

We had to accept the schismatic emotions that time provokes.

Aroused by the curiosity of what happens next, yet nervously anticipating the unknown and inevitable.

Tomorrow’s release of Rise of Skywalker signals the end of an era. 

Confronting to contemplate on many levels. It’s saying goodbye to the old and embracing the new.

When I watch the original trilogy, I’m back to feeling like the kid I was. Watching episodes 4, 5 + 6 makes me feel hopeful, carefree and comforted.

Star Wars has been a close friend. It’s been a companion. A teacher. Escapism. The characters formed my tribe. 

Along the way, there have been many valuable life lessons learnt.
​

1. Fight for good
2. Be adventurous 
3. Be good to each other
4. Families are complicated 

The lesson? Enjoy every step of the adventure. Create the adventure. Be the adventure. Have people around you to enjoy it with and be acutely aware that time will pass.

Time - it feels like only yesterday we first entered a galaxy a long time ago far, far away. 

A lot happens in 40 years. Looking forward to the next 40 [and beyond].

May the Force be with you - always.

Older people rock. This is why.

On a long weekend in Greece recently, I joined a group tour.

Think sightseeing, big bus and buffet.

I wanted to explore part of Greece I hadn’t seen for years, so I joined an organised tour and headed to Kalambaka to see the imposing + mysterious Meteora.

I was amongst the youngest passengers on tour with the average age being 70.

I was hanging with the grey set. A bus full of old timers - baby boomer territory.

We hit the road for what was an unforgettable three day experience. The trip was thought provoking and emotional but not for the reasons I expected.

Whilst I loved the mystical monasteries of the Meteora, the stunning man made Lake Plastira and the picturesque villages we explored - it was the humanity and humility I experienced that touched me.

People from all over Greece, all walks of life, came together - not just to tour but to connect.

It’s the people that make the journey and I was about to learn some valuable life lessons from people who’ve lived.

This is what I learnt.


We can always reinvent ourselves [and should]

Now in his late 70s, Dimitris held the position of a high level secret services operative until his 50s.

He assumed the role of the unofficial cohost on the trip - second to our amazing guide Stamatina.

He would engage with Stamatina as she explained what we were seeing and its significance.

His commentary from the back of the bus was hilarious. His well spirited nature created a happy vibe for everyone on tour.

In conversation he revealed he wasn’t always the funny guy.

“I saw a lot of hard things in my working life. It changed me for a long time and suppressed who I was. I was too serious. I wasn’t happy. I was burdened. I carried a lot of emotional weight and stress on my shoulders.”

“I would leave for work in the morning and return late at night.”

“It wasn’t until I retired that I went for a walk in the middle of the day and saw so many people enjoying a coffee or a meal with friends and I thought what is going on here - how could I have missed out on so much of this? So many moments.”

“The experience of reconnecting with people brought out humour, sarcasm and a funny side of me I never knew I had.”

“I haven’t stopped making people laugh. It's a new me.”

“And we’ve been suffering ever since,” his wife quips. A line delivered with dry perfection and prompted more laughs from the group.


Be good to each other

Two ladies who met on the trip Anna + Aspa, together with our guide Stamatina, showed so much support to each other and to less able bodied passengers - it was truly touching. Humans just helping humans. No expectation of anything in return.

All three would slow their pace to walk to accompany slower moving elderly passengers - gently holding their arm to support, they would tenderly walk by their side.

These were strangers who were showing compassion and humanity to each other. They were also constantly making sure everyone was well fed and looked after.

They didn’t need to do this. They wanted to. The dynamic they brought to the group  was important. They instilled a deep sense of empathy as a foundation to how we all treated each other.

“Love is all we leave behind,” shares Stamatina. 

​
No complexities

“When you’re in a body that’s lived, not everything is going to work like it once did and that’s ok, you make the most of it,” Voula said.

“My body works well enough for me to be here and that’s enough.”

“The way you look, what you wear what people think of you - doesn’t matter and it never really did.”

“At times in our lives, we give too much attention to those thoughts and it creates complexes in each of us. Let it go. It doesn’t matter.”

“Just think free.”


Time [Use it wisely]

In conversation with Dimitri, he opened his well worn leather wallet to show me a snapshot of his family.

“This is us when the children were little, “ he said as he pointed to the picture with his deep lined fingers.

“This is my son sitting on my wife’s lap and my daughter standing by her. That’s me on the side. It feels like yesterday. It actually does.”

The photo was taken in 1979.

“Like yesterday. Where did it go?”

He was reflective and in disbelief in his realisation the photo was taken 40 years ago.

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“Time is a gift son - use it wisely.”

Life lessons from people who’ve lived, loved and experienced this thing called life.

This wasn’t just another tour. This was a transformation.