Image courtesy of fandango.com

Who would have thought that over 30 years later, this film would be as thrilling to audiences as it was back in 1985? I certainly didn’t, but I was a wee child then;-)

Last night, I had the privilege of watching “Back to the Future” with my kids, and I sat with bated breath to hear their critiques on a movie that made my childhood special. This movie came at a critical time in my life. More of an introvert, I remember watching this movie with awe and fascination at all the possible technology and gadgets coming our way.

I sat, as I do now, with spine-tingling anticipation of “What if’s…” What if in our future we could time travel? What would the ramifications be, and would people use it to the betterment of society or to our destruction?

My creative juices were already simmering, but it was with this movie and another, The Goonies, that created a tidal wave of excitement which propelled me to become a writer.

So, I sat with a clinched jaw and held my breath as the credits rolled across the screen and the first moments of my childhood dreams came back to life. One of my children didn’t particularly care to watch it while the other two were curious, and I was no less a ball of nerves when complete silence followed until Marty’s alarm clock appeared, and one of my children asked, “Is that an alarm clock?”

I wistfully smiled and told her, “Yes,” to which she responded, “Did you have one too?” Nodding my head, I told her I had one almost exactly like that, and silently took a brief walk down memory lane before the first giggle caught my attention. It was followed by a few more until the “Oh’s” and “Awwws” came forth upon Marty’s near escape from the shooters.

All my children sat mesmerized, stuck to the screen, and made comments about “5 cents?!” or “They didn’t have skate boards back then?”

Their quizzical and innocent expressions made my heart swell with pride, and all of them came away wide-eyed and yearning for more. I, too, took delight in watching their mental wheels beginning to churn, and I’m thrilled that they loved it, but I’m especially thankful for all the creative people who put pen to paper, or by way of typewriter, and came up with and continue to come up with these extraordinary stories.

I truly feel that we can achieve what we believe, and I’m thankful for these types of movies and especially books which stoke the burning fires of discovery in men, women and children alike.

If you’ve never seen “Back to the Future,” or you’ve not experienced it in awhile, I invite you to sit down, with a child if you can, and experience the wonders of creativity again. I promise you won’t regret it;-)

Happy watching, Happy reading,

KD