I just returned from seeing “Wild,” a film based on the memoir of Cheryl Strayed. It’s the story of a 26 year old woman, played by Reese Witherspoon, who treks 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail hoping for personal reflection and transformation.
With no prior hiking experience, she makes a knee jerk decision to get away from it all by walking through the wild of the PCT to escape the emotional scars of her Mom’s young death at 45, her recreational use of heroin, and her divorce.
Along the journey, Cheryl encounters numerous characters where she must quickly evaluate the other person’s motives and decide how she wants to show up.
I was mesmerized by the roller coaster of each engagement, watching in amazement how Cheryl/Reese skillfully weaves in and out of a situation simply by tapping into her emotional intelligence.
One minute I was slumped in my seat, holding my breath, wondering how she was going to negotiate her way to a good place, and the next minute I was exhaling, diving my hand into the large $8.50 tub of popcorn.
What I noticed was, in each precarious situation, Reese’s character always kept calm, not once ever revealing her insides were quaking.
Emotional intelligence is awareness of self and of others, in every occurrence, then in the spur of the moment making sound decisions that lead to a successful outcome.
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Photo by Miguel Vieira.
Oh great, now I have to go see that movie. Not on my list of goals for January…. 😉 It’s funny, I think I ran into that woman when we were hiking in Colorodo a few years ago. Time for introspection can go a long way in cultivating emotional intelligence.
Karin, the movie is getting rave reviews though the film isn’t for everyone. Someone commented they thought it was boring. I couldn’t disagree more.
Being a hiker, I could relate to the experience of the character.
Let me know what you think about the movie when you finally have time to see it.