Father's Day Adventure
A story on staying in the present moment
For those that know me quite well, I’ve been a fan of Transformers ever since I was 5 watching the G1 Animated series along with owning multiple action figures.I was so fascinated on how they worked. Like a live action puzzle. I would transform them for hours until the pieces would start to fall off. Only back then if I knew what they’d be worth, I would've taken better care of them. (My Optimus Prime Trailer was one of the first to get destroyed) Even when I got older, whenever I got a hold of one, I’d sit and figure out how to transform it without the instruction sheet.
After some time as animation got better, another spin off series of the franchise debuted with Beast Wars. Still in High School, I was pretty stoked it was aired in the evening for Primetime watching. As a kid I would rush home after school to catch it and would always miss the first 5 mins. I do miss after school and Saturday morning cartoons, what a great time to be a kid. I got hooked with Beast Wars and loved how they integrated the G1 series into it. Seeing how the G1 characters looked in 3D computer animation was mind blowing to me at that time.
As I grew into an adult, I was still a huge fan. When I was given a shirt with the Decepticon Symbol on it, I rocked it till it wore out. When rumors were out about a live action movie being made, I had to see it to believe it. With the power of the internet, I did research and found out that one was actually being made! Then finally that teaser trailer came out with only the Logo transforming, I got too excited and couldn’t wait. Before the movie was released, heavy promo was produced, and the new toy line was released. I jumped on it ASAP.
My first 2 purchases were Optimus and Megatron, followed with the rest of the collection.. I kept it in the box for as long as I could, but the itch to play with them overcame it, and opened them up. Along the way, my son Rhynen was born, and wanted him to get into it as he grew up. Which he did. When I first showed him the first cinematic movie, he was at the age to be aware of things, and he really got into it. He was also fascinated on how they’d transform and slowly he got hooked. Moving forward, I’d let him try and figure out how to transform the simpler ones. He understood the engineering of it all and he gradually became so good that he doesn't need instructions anymore.
We are all up to date with the Franchise movie line and we both couldn’t wait to check out this latest one. Rise of the Beasts. With him staying with me for Father’s Day weekend, what better way can we celebrate it. Bought the tickets and headed to the theater. Having gone to the same place on several occasions and having our seats reserved, we left the normal time we usually do.
As I was driving there, we hit some seem to be slow traffic up ahead. Thinking it wasn’t too bad I just kept on going and slowed down when I had too. This was like gridlock traffic and we were not moving. I was thinking about a u-turn, but thinking about the route in my head, we’d be really late to watch the movie. Being huge Fan boys, it was a race against time. I made the decision to just move forward with this traffic cuz it was so much closer to get too. We were slowly moving but not fast enough. Then an old friend of mine called worry started to creep in my mind. Luckily I was aware of it and caught that thought. With the power of self-talk I told myself and Rhynen that if we were late, it’s all good, we're gonna watch it again. I then vanquished the feeling or worry.
Moving along, with no worry, we got to the theater at a reasonable time. We walked to the parking station and the only method that I could pay for was by the app. Pulled out the phone to download it. No Service. Again, that feeling of worry tried to creep up and again, I stopped it in its tracks. I rebooted my phone and we then started walking there. That place is mostly solid concrete so my phone could pick up a signal. But we kept walking.
When we entered, there was a long line up to get snacks, so we got in line. The movie was gonna start in about 5 mins, but there were always previews. While in line I ran into an old colleague of mine who was there to watch the movie with his son for Father’s Day too. We finally got our stuff and headed to the auditorium. There were previews still going and we found our seats. I checked my phone and the app was still downloading.
Next thing you know, worry tried to come up again, but this time I tried something different. While the previews were still being played I aired, I allowed worry to happen. I let go and I sat with it and while being worried, I asked myself questions why I was being worried? I would say, what if I get a parking ticket cuz I couldn’t figure out this app thing? What if they’ve already given me a ticket because I’ve already been parked there for a while now? Should I even pay now that I've gotten a ticket?
I just let it all out and finally gathered the data and said who gives a shit, I asked myself, what can I do about it now? Nothing. My main goal is to have a good time with my son on father's day and I’m not gonna allow this feeling to take control any more. I then took control of my thoughts and focused on the present. The movie began and we started watching it. Just as it was about to begin, I quickly checked my phone and the app was downloaded. Paid for my parking and it was time for the movie. Just so you know, I didn’t get a ticket.
Right away when I heard the soundtrack, mixed in with Transforming Robots, I instantly knew this was going to be my favorite of the Movie Franchise. Definitely marketed toward a good crowd cuz those of us who grew up with Golden Era Hip Hop are mostly dads now. Mixing it with a childhood toy like Transformers, it's a 2 thumbs up!
Yes, a biased review, with the G1 collection as a kid, listening to Hip Hop and Beast Wars coming out as a teen, this movie hit me emotionally. My Kid, my favorite childhood memory, and my favorite music. Staying in the present moment, with all that combined into 1 was definitely an amazing experience that I will never forget. I am proud of myself for staying in control with my thoughts.
If you’re into the same shit, Fatherhood, Transformers, & Hip Hop, I think you’re gonna like this movie. Even if you’re not, the action scenes are still pretty cool and a cool historic timeline story.
IG Reel Highlight of the Day.
Comment below and let me know what you thought about the movie.
Always remember to stay in the present moment.
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