Groundhog Day

In case you didn’t realize it, last Thursday was Groundhog Day. February 2nd is the day when a legendary groundhog (Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) comes out of his winter lodging. If he sees his shadow then there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Last year there was no shadow – yet it turned out to be anything but an early spring. This year there was a shadow. That is supposed to mean six more weeks of winter weather.

It turns out that Punxsutawney Phil is wrong about 60% of the time. I believe he will be wrong again this year. We have only had about one week of winter weather so far, and even that was a far cry from what we had last year.

“Groundhog Day” was also the name of a classic movie, released in 1993, that depicts Bill Murray (playing Phil Connors, a condescending newscaster) who was doing a special on the legendary rodent from Punxsutawney. Phil is bored with having to do the same story every year, doesn’t put his heart into it, and is “punished” by having to live through the same day over and over again. He hates his life – and even tries to commit suicide. Much to his chagrin, however, he wakes up, day after day, to realize that he has to live the day over again.

Phil eventually realizes that the only way he can get out of “this day” is to try his best at everything he does . . . He saves a vagrant’s life, catches a kid falling out of a tree, helps some little old ladies change a flat tire, buys insurance from an old school acquaintance, learns how to play piano, treats a disliked co-worker with respect, learns how to genuinely care for the Punxsutawney townspeople, and falls in love . . . Only genuine love was able to convince the object of his affection to believe in him. And finally, after an eternity of trying, Phil was able to enter into the next day. This “next day” of his life represents the beginning of a new and more genuine phase of his life.

I think “Groundhog Day” is one of the best movies of all time. It is funny, well-acted, and has a great message. The screenplay was written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. Theirs is the kind of “live better” message that is profound and yet easy to swallow. My “Dr. Dirt” column occasionally tries to address topics of this nature. I often stumble in my attempt to do so, and stumble even more in my attempt to live in a prescribed manner. But I’ll keep trying. Perhaps my efforts to “live a better life” are not unlike yours. It seems that we are all like Phil Collins, the star of “Groundhog Day,” and need to become motivated to make the most of each day.