Films, words and red balloons

One of my friends just gave me Stephen King's " Hope Springs Eternal,"- the short story on which the film , The Shawshank Redemption ( my all time, one- of -the -seven- things -I -would -save favourite) is based. Now that I have read it, it has set me to wondering about films and books because I think it is one of the few times when I believe the film is better than the book. It is an ongoing argument in our house.  Every time my kids go to see a film based on a book, I try to get them to read the book first  explaining to them that films are nearly always a pale shadow of the original story.

" Films are always disappointing if you've read the book," I say.  

To which they reply, " Then why would we want to read the book? We don't want to be disappointed."

And as usual I am dumbfounded by their teenage logic!

Most of the best lines in the film are taken directly from the book but I think the twists that have been added in the film make it a better and more compelling story. In the end though, the message is the same- hope is a good thing! And I think that is why I love the film so. Because if I had a mantra I think that might be it, although there are times, when I am about to walk into a room full of people wearing smart clothes and high heeled shoes or , even more scarily, a room full of teenage parents, when I have to keep repeating the words " Remember they are more scared of you than you are of them, remember they are ...." Maybe mantras, like priorities, change depending on what you are doing and who you are talking to. At work, I often find myself saying to people, that if you think "blue sky,"  you have more chance of your hopes and dreams coming true than if you think grey, cloudy sky. And when I am talking to my daughter, upset once again because of a friendship crisis, I tell her the most important thing is " to be true to herself," while to my son, raging at some new injustice we have imposed upon him, I say the most important thing is to think of others. And to Ninesh, I mostly say that there are more important things in life than football.  And the truth is, they are all just words.. Which is probably why I will always prefer books to films, whether or not I win the argument at home.

The sky outside our bedroom window has just filled with red balloons, hundreds of them floating fby with tags attached.  So for a few minutes even the air is filled with words!  

Playing I Spy at work the other day, someone told me how his family  had been playing it with their 3 year old  daughter.

" I spy with my little eye, something beginning with "b," she said.  The family spent the next 20 minutes guessing and asking for clues.  " No," she said to every guess, " no, not that." Finally they gave up and admitted defeat. " What is it?" they asked, " Tell us.  " Oh, I don't know," she said, put her sunglasses on upside down and fell asleep.