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Tag: Carnegie Medal

Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Marilyn Monroe, Watership Down, The Truman Show, Improvement Pill, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on August 7, 2022

Sunday Supplement #65 (August 7th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

– Marilyn Monroe

Book of the Week:

Watership Down – Richard Adams

When Hazel’s brother Fiver experiences a terrifying vision of their warren’s imminent destruction, the rabbits must convince others to flee.

Their adventure takes on many twists and turns and delves into a few deeper themes like authoritarianism and power structures.

Richard Adam’s research of rabbits and warrens helps provide a reading experience that feels like a realistic insight into the life of a rabbit.

After getting rejected by numerous publishers, the book was published by Collings and won the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Prize.

Adam’s book might be cataloged as a young adult or children’s novel, but it is an epic masterpiece that all ages can enjoy.

Movie of the Week:

The Truman Show

In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman who discovers that his whole life is a reality TV show.

Burbank grew up living a life that, unbeknownst to him, takes place on a massive set populated by actors for a reality television show about him.

When Truman suspects his life is off, he must decide whether to be passive or fight back.

Jim Carey brings out the best of existential undertones of the movie while using his comedic chops to keep the film adventurous. 

The rest of the cast, including standouts Ed Harris, Laura Linney, and Noah Emmerich, brilliantly support the fascinating world of The Truman Show.

The film was nominated for three Oscars and currently is #142 on IMDb’s Top Rated Movies list. It is worth putting on your watch list and will make for an intriguing movie night.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Change Your Bad Habits | Improvement Pill

I’ve featured Improvement Pill in two previous Sunday Supplements. Their channel has just shy of 3 million followers and focuses on teaching practices that can help change your life.

In this video, Improvement Pill focuses on how to change your bad habits. The video starts by discussing a negative habit loop of Internet surfing (Facebook).

The harmful habit gets reinforced by the environment and specific cues. The first step two removing a bad habit is changing your environment and/or eliminating negative cues.

Adding good cues to your routine helps reinforce good habits in your life. And making it harder to indulge in bad habits and easier to indulge in good ones reinforces your determination.

The video gives good examples of positive and negative cues and making it harder or easier to support habits.

Improvement Pill has many short videos with practical strategies for change. Check this one out to see if it’s a channel you’d like to subscribe to.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If the rhythm of the drum beat changes, the dance steps must adapt.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb reminds me that we aren’t always in control of the music around us. If we want to keep up with new dances, we must learn the steps.

New rhythms can help us grow and learn new things. Although, I don’t think we should mindlessly dance to the beat of others either.

I think awareness of the changing beats is vital to conscious action. We can decide how to best move forward when we recognize the music changing.

There are many levels to this African Proverb, and I’m glad for the reflection on being aware of my environment. 

Notice the music playing around you, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Roy T. Bennett, A Monster Calls, Stand by Me, The Futur, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Roy T. Bennett, A Monster Calls, Stand by Me, The Futur, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 17, 2022

Sunday Supplement #62 (July 17th, 2022)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”

– Roy T. Bennett

Book of the Week:

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

British author and activist Siobhan Dowd originally came up with the idea for A Monster Calls. 

Conor struggles to cope with the consequences of his mother’s illness and is visited by a monster each night he dreams.

As the boy experiences isolation and loneliness from his peers and his family in the wake of his mother’s illness, the monster wants Conor’s truth.

The monster promises to tell three true stories in return for Conor’s true story about the nightmare he’s afraid to recall.

Dowd had terminal cancer when she came up with the idea and worked with editor Denise Johnstone-Burt at Walker Books to develop the book.

Patrick Ness also worked with Johnstone-Burt and was brought on to write the novel after Dowd’s passing.

The book won the Carnegie Medal and was adapted into a critically successful movie of the same name. 

A Monster Calls is considered a young adult novel but is well written with themes that resonate with all ages.

Movie of the Week:

Stand by Me

I haven’t featured Stephen King in a Sunday Supplement in some time. He’s one of my favorite authors, and I believe some of the best films in Cinema have been adapted from his works.

Stand by Me is a 1986 film adapted from King’s novella The Body. The story recounts a childhood adventure of four friends who attempt to find the missing body of a local boy.

The companionship of the four boys makes the movie. Each has their struggles and home and in the community. 

A local gang of bad boys rival the boys’ search and want to claim fame from the news by discovering the body first.

Stand by Me received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also received two Golden Globes nominations for Best Drama Motion Picture and Best Director.

Director Rob Reiner claimed it was his favorite film, and Stephen King said it was the best adaptation of one of his works.

There is much to appreciate from the film, and it’s one worth putting on your watch list if you haven’t seen it.

Brainfood of the Week:

Learn Self Acceptance Self Confidence By Letting Go Of Ego & Being Yourself

This is the first time I’ve featured The Futur on a Sunday Supplement. Their YouTube page is dedicated to helping people make a living doing what they love.

The Futur focuses on five main topics: Mindset, Marketing, Sales & Negotiations, Pricing & Motivation.

In this video, Chris Do discusses how most people carry around a flash mask, constructed from insecurity and ego, hoping people will accept them.

Do explains how everyone already sees you for who you are and chooses whether to accept or reject you. 

We shouldn’t concern ourselves with how others view us because it’s outside our control and takes a tremendous amount of our energy.

Do tells a story about how he viewed himself and tried to control how others viewed him. He eventually let go and focused on allowing others to connect with him or not.

The Futur’s video is an excellent dissection of the ego and how we can genuinely connect with others if we learn to accept ourselves.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Whatever happened was good. Whatever is happening is good. Whatever will happen will also be good.”

– Bhagavad Gita

This Bhagavad Gita passage reminds me how we can always find the good if we look for it. There can be terrible experiences, but there can always be a way to move forward.

I reflect on the more challenging experiences of my life and the more difficult experiences of others and find that a change in perspective allows growth.

Accepting any situation gives us the power to take action and move forward. We might not be able to change bad experiences, but we can learn from them and look for the good around us.

I try to remember this Bhagavad Gita passage when I feel lost. Knowing that I can choose how I want to move forward helps me find the good in the past, present, and future.

Accept yourself, find the good, and have a blessed week ahead!

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