The Force Awakens

This week, Star Wars opened...It has been something that has been talked about since I was hired at AMC Theatres 10 months ago.

Wednesday night from Midnight til Thursday 8am...I was working the 'marathon'...Where our theater played ALL of the Star Wars movies...

Every hour, the lines for this movie get moved...Every 2 hrs, a new set of lines filter into the theater. It's madness at its best. And WORST.

This year, I have seen it all. Guns, fist fights, disrespectful guests....I've been threatened and spit on. I've watched police arrest guests, and after being told to 'F-off' by a guest who then promised to meet me at my car after my shift, I've been escorted by our own security team back to my vehicle at closing.

 What makes people feel so entitled about seeing a movie that they can treat others so poorly? What else is going on in their lives that makes me their target of choice?

Where you have great masses of people, you also have great MESSES of people. It's like trying to clean during a tornado...

Humans are truly disgusting...And I am now not surprised with the amount of nastiness I walk into when I am helping to clean a theater. I've cleaned up poop, puke, pee...And other bodily fluids that will not be mentioned....

And all of this leaves me to wonder WHY I keep going back there....

Back to Star Wars...Seriously...WOW. It's the BIGGEST MOVIE OPENING OF ALL TIME and It has been nonstop since Wednesday night....Literally thousands of people flow through our building everyday – It's crazy...and....It's fascinating - I get the opportunity to witness true nerdiness with all of the costumes and props. It's pretty awesome.

The other night I saw a tiny 3 yr old dressed up as Chewbacca and a middle aged woman wearing a Princess Leia inspired gold bikini. Light Sabers, Storm Trooper outfits...And Guests talking to me in Yoda....I feel pretty lucky to be a part of this. In particular - one aspect stands out to me. Years ago, Star Wars nerds were just that - nerds. Outcasts. Now it's cool to be a nerd - and I see it at the theatre every month, whether it's super-heroes, raptors, or Jedi's roaming the halls. The more the world is exposed to what's different, the more accepting it becomes. 

What if they became more exposed to Neurofibromatosis? Perhaps a force for good would awaken among the world as we allow it to awaken within ourselves.

Thrive on!