Today I watched a movie that did something rare—it calmed my nervous system. Boyhood (2014). A slow, grounded film that follows the life of a boy named Mason from age six to the time he joins college. No fantasy, no dramatic music, no violent plot twists or adrenaline-driven scenes. Just ordinary life, unfolding gently and honestly.
And it was everything I didn’t know I needed.
There’s something incredibly healing about watching a film that mirrors real life without trying to hype it up. Mason is raised by a single mother who’s been through a few painful marriages. There’s an older sister too. They coparent with the children’s father, and somehow—through the messiness, the transitions, the growing pains—the kids turn out okay.
Watching that gave me a quiet kind of peace. The kind that whispers, Your child will be fine. Whether you coparent successfully or not. Whether you’re in a season of struggle or one of ease. They’ll grow. They’ll find their way. One day, the house will be quiet again. So now, while it’s still full of noise and tiny routines and endless little demands… maybe that’s the sacred part.
Maybe we don’t need to wait for a perfect moment to start enjoying it. Maybe this is the moment.
I’ve been watching more movies lately—something I haven’t done in years. I think the last time I really let myself enjoy movies like this was in campus, over a decade ago. But now, as I search for a new job and wait for what’s next, I find myself with extra time. Instead of beating myself up for not being “productive,” I’m allowing myself to rest. To watch. To feel. To just be for a little while.
And I’m realising—it’s okay to be in this in-between.
It’s okay to breathe. It’s okay to not know what’s next. It’s okay to find softness again, even here.
This moment, just as it is, might not be the flashiest or most impressive season of my life. But it’s good. It’s enough. And I’m not going to miss it by waiting for something better. I’m going to live it. Watch movies that soothe me. Spend time with my daughter. Heal. Rest. Let my heart be full in small, quiet ways.
This is a good season. Because I’m choosing to see it that way.