Serendipity.

S asked me whether Before Sunrise brought about feelings of nostalgia for "the one that got away"...and I really thought about that quite a bit. Did it? Was there a one that got away?
I came to a conclusion that there wasn't. There could've been, but I think I pretty much caught that fish some 5 years back. Specifically 5 years, 7 months and 4 days ago. Before Sunrise/Sunset is a movie that asks the question "what if...?" a lot. It deals with feelings of regret, questioning how your life would've turned out if something had been different. What would've happened if...? But that's not life...Life's pretty much about living in the present and we're all products of the lives we've led. All the pain, aggravation, the hurts and the scars make us who we are, along with all the good stuff. It's all a growing process and if you discount all that, you're not living your life.
I was faced with a "10, 20 years down the road" choice that Jesse presented to Celine, and I took it. It's where I am now and I'm happy with it.
Watching Before Sunset was, however, a bittersweet experience for me. I've carried Jesse and Celine around in me since I borrowed that video in 1997. I'd always wondered if they eventually did meet up at the train station in Venice...a niggling thought that hovered at the back of my mind for the past 7 years...and finally it's been answered. It also struck me how much they've changed...and yet stayed the same. (Interesting fact: Jesse asked Celine if she believed in reincarnation and her answer's changed...same question was asked in Before Sunrise.)
Anyway, if this post doesn't make sense, it's because it wasn't written in one sitting.
O well...