Life of Pi

We took the kids to see The Life of Pi last night.  I had read the book about a year ago and really loved it, but the beauty of seeing a movie is that the beginning is still fresh in your mind by the time the end rolls around.

I had forgotten about all the symbolism in the book.  As I was walking out of the theater and discussing the movie with my husband and kids, I started to wonder about the story those of us with a chronic illness tell ourselves.  In reality, there are only the facts of any given situation, however we often have to come to conclusions based on limited data, so as humans we manage to create elaborate stories around it.

As an example, I find I will latch on to bits of information about Meniere's disease my doctor has told me or something I've read on the web to help me understand what is happening to me.  My mind will accept something as fact on limited data only to be humbled by a conflicting piece of information down the road.  This can either be deflating or elating, depending on which story places me in a better position to be hopeful.  In either case, it is an emotional roller coaster.  And based on a story built on limited facts.

I won't give the end of the Pi story away but I will tell you that it left me thinking that oftentimes you just have to believe the story of others on faith alone.  However, the story we tell ourselves might just be the one that gives us the most hope for the future so we conveniently select, or embellish, the facts in order to make our situation tolerable.