My parents grew up in the 1980’s, so naturally, I’ve heard all the hits and I’ve seen every classic 80’s film. Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink…you name it. But my favorite 80’s film is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

I’ve seen the film way too many times for my own good, however when my dad texted me yesterday reminding me that June 5 was the day Ferris Bueller cut school, we decided to spend the afternoon together watching the film. Of course, we shared many laughs while watching it; the film is a staple in our house and we quote it all the time. I’d be set for life if I had a dollar for every time one of us said “I weep for the future” or “What makes him so goddamn special?”. 

We got to the part where Cameron wrecks his dad’s car, and my dad said “You know, everyone sees this as a comedy, but when you think about it, this film is pretty deep”, and I can’t look at this film the same way ever again. Ferris wasn’t the one who needed a day off…it was Cameron. Ferris just helped him get to that point. And then I thought about that scene where Cameron crashes out and destroys his father’s Ferrari. He knew he’d never hear the end of it from his father, but he’d never felt better. He finally took a stand to his father’s disrespect of him and his mother. There’s a lot of things we can learn from this film. And one of them is to stand up for ourselves and for others, and to take a stand against disrespect (obviously without destroying other people’s property). 

And then, there was the scene in the police station where Ferris’ sister Jeanie falls in love with Charlie Sheen’s character. She tells him all about Ferris, and he tells her she’d be happier in life if she didn’t spend every moment worrying about what her brother did. And that really stuck with me. Sometimes in life, we need to stop living in the shadow of others, be our own person, and not give them any power over us. My parents jokingly call me Jeanie Bueller sometimes due to my relationship with my brother, but after revisiting the end of the film where she covers up for Ferris, I think it sums us up perfectly. Sometimes my brother and I get into arguments, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him (or anyone in my family for that matter). 

However, the line I needed to hear the most yesterday was “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you’ll miss it”. Sometimes we just have to say “screw it” and live a little. Everyone who knows me knows I’m definitely a homebody, although lately, I’ve been making it a point to get out more. It made me think about all the fun I’ve missed out on in life. And now, as I get closer to my 30’s, I wish I’d done as Ferris said and lived a little more. I wish I wasn’t so worried about what would happen if I stayed out a little late, or what would happen if I went out of my comfort zone and did something new. But, I’ve taken this to heart, and I plan to live the rest of my life like his…so many amazing things are on the horizon and I can’t wait to make more memories with my favorite people!