Note: This blog post contains major spoilers to the classic movie Groundhog Day. If you haven’t already seen this comedy masterpiece, drop whatever you’re doing and get on it! Or, just queue it up on Netflix for your next movie night. Whatever floats your boat.
Tell me if this sounds familiar. The alarm clock goes off. You get up, brush your teeth, and eat a quick breakfast. Maybe you do some sleepy yoga or half-mindful meditation after. Soon, you’re at your desk, furiously typing away, answering the first of the day’s emails and messages. A quick break for lunch. A quick afternoon walk and mini cardio session. Dinner. Some Netflix before drifting off to sleep. And then the alarm clock goes off again.
After sheltering in place started in wake of the Covid pandemic, it didn’t take long for me to lose track of the days. Everything started blending together and as much as I tried to switch things up, there’s only so much variability when I’m spending most of my waking life in a small apartment.
So it came as a surprise this past weekend when I randomly selected Groundhog Day as my Saturday night movie. I’d always heard about this classic but never had the chance to watch it, and it starred Bill Murray, who’s in one of my favorite films. So I figured I’d give it a shot.
By the movie’s end, after smiling, laughing, and sympathizing my way through all 100 minutes, I went to bed feeling much more encouraged about my current quarantined existence and carrying a bit more resolve to get through this period of time well.
In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays an egotistical evening news weatherman named Phil who begrudgingly travels to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to do his annual coverage of the Groundhog Day festivities. The town and his news team are beneath him, and he can’t wait to get back to the big city as soon as his assignment is over.
Everything is going according to plan until an incoming blizzard delays Phil’s return home, and he spends the night back in the town. In the morning, Phil wakes up and the radio is playing the same song as it was the morning before. His interactions with the same people and same events become more and more disconcerting. It isn’t long before he realizes he’s trapped in a time loop. No matter what he does or how hard he tries to get out of it, the next day always starts again on February 2nd, in the same bed at the bed & breakfast in Punxsutawney, on the morning of the big Groundhog Day event.
I won’t go into all the details of how Phil responds to his predicament. There’s a mix of head-shaking indulgences in drinks and women, hilarious antics as he realizes that he’s essentially invincible and all-knowing (including the classic groundhog kidnapping scene), and gut-wrenching moments of despair as he unsuccessfully tries to fill what had always been missing in his heart.
But over time, as Phil comes to accept his situation and also realizes the errors of his old ways of thinking and living, he changes for the better. He becomes an impressive pianist by going to the same piano teacher every morning as a “first-time” student. He gets to know and genuinely care for many folks in the community, even though they wouldn’t remember him or his actions from the “previous” day. He makes the best use of his time pursuing activities that allow him to grow and to help others.
It’s a bit sappy to make that connection to my present situation, but as I was watching the movie on yet another Saturday night inside because of the quarantine, the message hit me hard and really gave me some hope. I’ve been very blessed during this time, but the changes haven’t come easy. Work has been a challenge. Many of my passions have been put on hold in the blink of an eye. My sense of purpose and being a blessing to others have gotten more murky. But if I could go to bed at night knowing that I made an honest effort to make the best of each day, then that small victory would invariably be a positive thing in my life.
Who knows, maybe one day, it will finally be February 3rd. And I’ll be a better person than I was before this all started.
