There is a scene in the movie that shows Forrest sitting very upright in the bay window seat at the Gump House. He is a partial silhouette from the bright sun outside the windows. He is simply a man sitting alone with his thoughts. Forrest Gump is at a complete stop.
The scene immediately preceding this one shows Forrest, holding a glass of milk and dressed in his house robe, staring blankly at the neatly made bed of Jenny’s vacated room. His Medal of Honor and ping pong paddle rest on the nightstand. Jenny had just run off… again. This time her leaving must have been especially painful for Forrest. She had just given him the love he so long desired. She was gone. Forrest was about to come to a complete stop.
The scene immediately following has Forrest sitting in the rocking chair. His hat is in hand. He is still completely alone in his front porch thoughts. But, his complete stop is about to come to an end. Forrest is about to start running.
My prior post discussed how I came to a complete stop last week. I felt like Forrest did, sitting silhouetted in the window seat. I was contemplating how far I’ve come in my journey of the last few years. I was contemplating that I, too, was about to stand up and continue my run. But for that one moment, I, like Forrest, was completely stopped.
Anyone want to go for a little run with me?
I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be coming to a complete stop.
For Forrest, it took three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours.
Maybe I’ll call this my Gumption run.
Next Blog Title: Front Porch Thoughts – Fall 2011
Next Blog Date: October 27, 2011