By Jim Janus
Near the end of the film Groundhog Day, Rita sees how happy Phil Connors is. The two go for an evening walk and she says, “It’s a perfect day. You couldn’t have planned a day like this.” Phil replies, “Well, you can. It just takes an awful lot of work.”
It’s a welcome opposite from the story’s beginning: Phil feeling miserable working for Pittsburgh TV, thinking he’s too good for the groundhog festival, insulting everyone along the way.
I sometimes get miserable from my job’s drudgery. I direct engineers to unbuild computer systems they created. Often, the day’s meetings cover the exact same issues that were covered the day before.
In Groundhog Day, Phil breaks out of his drudgery by mastering new skills and putting himself in the time and place to use them. Because of this he begins enjoying himself and he becomes loved by everyone in town.
Years ago, I had long cycles of drudgery. To break through, I tried Phil’s approach and used the repeating days to get better at something I like to do.
I got in my car, drove fifty miles to Chicago, and attended a comedy writing workshop at The Second City. That introductory session was my first try at change (while keeping my day-job).
I didn’t continue there, but since I proved to myself that downtown was in reach, I joined Chicago Dramatists for a playwriting course. Early each Saturday I printed copies of the latest scene I’d been polishing, set the script on the passenger seat, and drove to West Town. In a small theater, professional actors read aloud what I and other students wrote. I was doing something new and getting better at it.
After several semesters of playwriting I switched to Story Studio Chicago for workshops in fiction writing. There I learned techniques used in short stories. Since then I wrote a number of short pieces and had some success in writing contests. For me, those accomplishments made for some perfect days.
My taking time to get better at what I like to do worked for me–and it still does. My days now have variety, I enjoy myself more, and I feel more loved by others.
If your today is a lot like your yesterday…
If your tomorrow will be a lot like your today…
Think of Phil waking to the clock radio, Sonny and Cher singing, “I Got You Babe,” and the disc jockeys’ voices calling, “Rise and shine, campers!”
Like Phil, you can use your repeating days to experiment and learn. “It takes an awful lot of work,” but it will get you a perfect day. Better still, as I found out, it will get you many perfect days.
Jim's Writing 