Our Star Wars Universe

Stop by our house any time of day and you will be treated to a non-stop rendition of Darth Vader’s theme music from Star Wars. ALL DAY, EVERY DAY my son will chant: “Dah dah dah dah dee dah, dah dee dah.” And if the baby is crying, he’ll sing it even louder so he can drown out her wails. Whoooosh - the Millenium Falcon whizzes by, nearly taking off my ear. Weeeooowww - Anakin’s Starfighter lands on my lap. “Hey Mom, I’m Luke and you’re Leia and we’re captured by Darth Vader.” Welcome to our Star Wars Universe.

My son loves Star Wars. He can recite almost any line from any Star Wars movie. He knows the name of every space ship, starfighter, vehicle, droid, planet, weapon and character. He has Star Wars board games, card games, video games, calendars, Legos, action figures and light sabers. He’s an Official Fan Club Member. And he’s saving a Toys ‘R Us gift card he got for Hannukah so he can by some of the new merchandise that is about to be released to promote the final Star Wars movie coming out May 19th.

All this passion has rubbed off on me. Sure, I saw Star Wars when I was a kid and thought it was OK. Not until I saw it as an adult did I fully appreciate what an incredible movie (in terms of special-effects) it was for its time. And the prequel movies (Episodes I and II) are fantastic. We’ve seen all five movies dozens of times and decided there is a lot to learn from Star Wars. Consider:

“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” ~Yoda ~ This is my favorite line out of all the movies. Don’t try, just do it. Words to live by.

“Your focus determines your reality.” ~ Qui-Gonn Jinn ~ We become what we think about. Change your mind and change your life.

“I can feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.” ~ Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader ~ Yes, Vader is powerful and evil, but he is also sad and pathetic. He lets his anger ruin his life. If we let go of negative feelings we free up all that energy and can put it to good use in our lives.

“You’re focusing on the negative. Be mindful of your thoughts.” ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi ~ Same idea as the last two quotes. Think about what you are thinking about.

I’m counting the days until May 19th when Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comes out in theaters. Not only will it provide closure for the saga, it will give my son new material to play out at home.

A question for all you Star Wars fans out there: Who’s a bigger hottie - Harrison Ford (Han Solo) or Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker)?