Elemental Feelings
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It was raining and I decided to watch some movies – I came across the movie Elemental.
Elemental is a movie about the elements air, water, earth, and fire, and how they coexist together in their own ways. Fire, however, is considered dangerous due to the element being harmful to the other elements and is often cast aside.
The relationships in Elemental could be compared to racism, type casting, or stereotyping. In the movie, things change as the result of what’s known as a butterfly effect – Water and Fire meet, the first become friends, and eventually they fall in love.
Ember (the ‘fire’ girl) meets Wade (the “water” boy). They work together to save her father’s shop and slowly make a connection. But one scene really caught my attention. While together, Ember mentions how her temper keeps her from forming connections and Wade says “I guess I just say what I feel. And I don’t think having a temper is so bad. Sometimes I love my temper; I think it’s just me trying to tell me something I’m not ready to hear.”
That comment alone got me to really thinking long and hard. Maybe I often view my own anxiety or temper as a negative due to fear being judged. But maybe, just maybe it’s my mind’s way of speaking up and defending me. Yes, there are days when I literally just want to scream, to blow off steam, to cry for an answer. But I hold back due to fear of being judged. I’ve kept so many things bottled up that I could literally end up making things worse not only for myself but others. But over time I learned some techniques to release my pent-up energy or anger in a healthy way such as self-defense practice, journaling, going on walks, playing certain music.
But back to the movie! In the big finale there was a flash flood in Firetown, and Wade and Ember worked together to put it out, confessed their feelings, and became a couple. The movie not only makes me think more about my emotions and temper, but also how the elements are more valued when they work together in harmony, because without one element the entire ecosystem could collapse (again a LITERAL butterfly effect).
PS: My zodiac sign is Leo, and my Chinese spirit animal is a Dragon, so I’m a fire element and a golden dragon. So, I embrace my fire!
That’s all I’ve got for now, so until next time –
Sarah