Kindred Spirits

Last night I watched one of my favorite movies from my teenage years, The Natural, starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, an aging, journeyman ball player on his quest to become the best who ever played the game. I always loved the movie and was drawn to Hobbs' character for some reason, but I never really understood why until last night, when he uttered the famous line, "God I love baseball."

Roy was no saint, as this espn.com article attests. But what I admired about his character was not his virtue; it was his unapologetic passion for the game. Sadly, it's all too rare to find this characteristic in others, since so few people are willing to wear their loyalty on their sleeve for fear of public scrutiny. If you were to simply ask people "what are you passionate about," many would find the question invasive and awkward. But I recently met someone who, like Roy Hobbs, was so dedicated to her passion that I immediately connected with her.

I met "Tanya" at a training workshop for LeaderShape counselors. LeaderShape is an immersive week-long leadership camp that is a transforming experience for participants. Tanya was the co-lead for our session, and the very first thing she said when introducing herself to us was, "LeaderShape is my favorite thing in the world. I love it." So in the first minute of knowing her, I knew everything I needed to know about her. I knew her passion.

At the conclusion of the camp, she said we had a "kindred spirit," which was flattering. It told me she understood my passion as well. But to those who know me, and even those who have just met me, it's not difficult to figure out what I care about. After all, I'm not a tough nut to crack. I don't care about much, but the things that are important to me, I care deeply about them, and people know that. I find that I relate well to those who are similarly unapologetic about their passions, whether they are educators, politicians, athletes, ...or, apparently, even fictional movie characters.

A long time ago...

Last week marked the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, the movie that became a cultural phenomenon and is still relevant today. I'm proud to say that my first movie theater experience was Star Wars, at the age of 6. It was everything you can imagine- the music and sound, the special effects, the characters- and of course, the story. I can think of no better movie for a first movie experience, save perhaps the Wizard of Oz or Harry Potter.

There is much about Star Wars that makes it relevant; George Lucas singlehandedly changed the movie-making business. But the thing I find most relavant was Lucas's decision to get into merchandising. The licensing of Star Wars merchandise created a multi-billion dollar brand and set the stage for ancilary activies that continue to be the norm for movie studios today. I'll confess, my birthday wish every year was that I'd open one of my presents and it would contain the entire Star Wars collection of toys. No such luck.

Blockbusters today become instant franchises. Studios anticipate multi-movie deals before the first installment starts shooting. Product tie-ins are negotiated well-ahead of opening weekend, with toys, video games and apparel only the tip of the iceberg.

I never did receive the entire Star Wars collection (if that's even possible), but have grown to see beyond the hype. The relevance of all that merchandise was driven by the substance of the movie itself. For Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, it's driven by concept and one classic character. Let's face it, a Spiderman nightlight or Shrek toothbrush is no match for a compelling story with great characters and dazzling effects set to a memorable score.

30 years later, I can share the thrill of my first movie experience with my little girls- at home on DVD- and they love it. After all, there's a princess in it!