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Brokaw: Movie characters that remind us to ‘seize the day’

By Francine Brokaw - Special to the Daily Herald | Jan 10, 2024

Courtesy photo

As we celebrate the new year, there are many movies, like “Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne” streaming on Apple TV+, that teach us to live in the moment and embrace each day.

It is 2024 and many people have made New Year’s resolutions. If you have, then good luck to you. If you have already broken them, you are not alone. And if you have not made any resolution, think about this one: Carpe diem. Seize the day, each and every day. We do not know what is coming tomorrow. Even though Annie sang, “The sun will come out, tomorrow,” she could not be certain.

Seizing the day is a common theme in films. Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) didn’t get that memo. She was the consummate procrastinator. “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” She also confirmed, or surmised, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” There are many famous quotes to come out of the 1939 film “Gone with the Wind,” but Scarlett’s tomorrow quotes are among the most memorable — well, those and the fact that Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) didn’t give a damn.

In the 1962 movie “The Music Man,” Harold Hill (Robert Preston) told Marian (Shirley Jones), “You pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll find you’ve collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.” That is definitely food for thought. Live for each day. He also said, “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering.” Harold Hill was full of wisdom, and this particular quote should be an inspiration to us all. Grab onto today, make it memorable and, by all means, do not take it for granted.

Sobering as the truth might be, we have no control over whether we will be around tomorrow. So, in 1989, as John Keating (Robin Williams) told his class in “Dead Poets Society,” “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” And make it count. Do something good for someone else. Praise others. Be kind. And above all else, enjoy your day because, to paraphrase Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow might not be another day.”

The master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) told Po (Jack Black) in the 2008 film “Kung Fu Panda,” “There’s a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Words to live by.

In the ending scene of “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), Harry (Billy Crystal) emphasizes the concept of not waiting. Harry wants to marry Sally (Meg Ryan) and his love for her propels him to run after her on New Year’s Eve to tell her they belong together and he doesn’t want to wait to be with her anymore. He declared, “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

One of the most beloved animated characters of all time, Charlie Brown, once made a New Year’s resolution not to let others get to him. This little guy has plenty of lessons for us all. Both “Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne” and “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown” are streaming on Apple TV+. They are a fun way for families to enjoy the beginning of 2024 with the entire Peanuts gang.

It might be prudent to add a saying from Albert Einstein. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Happy New Year, and make 2024 a great one!

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