One Door Opens & Another One Closes – Maybe

 

I have often heard that God directs our paths by opening and closing doors.  I am not so sure.

 

Late last night I was at the post office with my little man Brendan and this photo happened before my eyes.  There was nobody else there and I was rummaging through my mail.  When I turned to look at him he was standing in front of the large wall of box doors – opening and closing them just to see what was inside.  He liked the bigger ones the best, but the problem was that he couldn’t remember which he had opened and closed – so he just kept running around in madness and glee.

 

After a few minutes he turned, looked at me, and said, “Look at all these doors!  Why are there so many doors?  What do you think is inside?  Woo – this is a lot of work.”  He then returned to his “work” of exploration.

 

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In “The Adjustment Bureau,” Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in a romantic metaphysical thriller that aims to provoke thought about free will. Damon stars as Senator David Norris, whose up and coming political career continues to be at the mercy of his bad habits.  Along the way, he meets Elise, a free spirit of a woman whom he has an instant attraction with.  However, due to a fluke, Norris stumbles upon a group of men who appear to be in the habit of mind control.

The film is based off of a story by Philip K. Dick and it sets up some great questions with obvious metaphor for free will. That is the strength of this otherwise mediocre affair.  It’s not that “The Adjustment Bureau” is a bad movie so much as it feels mundane.  With the topic, actors involved, and set piece of New York City, it feels like we have a movie that could do so much more. Thrilling chases end up feeling pedestrian, revelations come quick and fast, and tension rarely exists.

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Most surfers and California beach-wear aficionados know what Rainbow Sandals are. They are a light-wear, leather sandal that forms to your foot, virtually indestructible; rather like wearing twin slices of heaven on your feet.

I like to think of them as the sandals Jesus wore.

Whenever we are back in San Clemente, Ca., we stop by the factory to pick up a pair or six. This last visit, the chief architect running the construction of the sandal manufacturing empire gave us a tour, and it was absolutely fascinating. Fashioning the leather straps, cutting the layers of rubber sole, applying the patented glue…you could tell this guy LOVED making Rainbows. Each one was special to him. And like Jelly Bellies, whose factory we also visited, even the flops were items of love and care. (Try purchasing bags of belly-flops the next time you’re passing through Fairfield, Ca.)

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