Groundhog Day was Saturday, and I hope you all celebrated accordingly by watching the movie of the same name, of course. You know, the 1990s movie with Bill Murray, where his character is stuck in a time loop? He relives the same day over and over, and, you guessed it, that day is Groundhog Day. 

As I watched this movie (because I know how to party), I wondered what lessons I could take away from it (because I’m really fun at parties). 

I’m sure fans of the movie have all wondered what we would do if we were like Murray’s character, Phil Connors. At first, Connors, a cynical and mean Pittsburgh TV weather man sent to cover the groundhog festivities, reacts like we all would (Just to clarify – none of the other characters are aware of this time loop). He’s confused, angry and depressed. Then, he starts to see what he can get away with, like driving recklessly, robbing a bank and stealing the famous Punxsutawney Phil groundhog. Eventually, though, he gets bored of this, and he begins to fall more in love with the lovely Rita, his producer. Thus begins his positive changes. 

Connors spends his seemingly endless days trying to woo Rita by memorizing all of her favorite things and trying to impress her, but he also spends as much time as he can doing good for the town of Punxsutawney. He saves a kid from falling out of a tree, stops a man from choking and tries to help a homeless man. He becomes generous, helpful and an all-around good guy; his transformation finally leads him out of the time loop, into Feb. 3, the day after Groundhog Day. Best of all, it seems Rita has fallen in love with him too, and it only took her one day. 

So, even though this is a feel-good romantic comedy, I still think lessons can be learned. For starters, just because we aren’t stuck in a time loop (but if you are, please contact me; it would make for a great story), doesn’t mean we can’t make the most out of every day we’re given. For that matter, it doesn’t mean that we can’t see the good in every day, or, better yet, be the good in every day. Even if we start small, with one small act of kindness a day, it would make a big difference, for you and those you’ve helped. Yes, always make the most out of each day and always do the most good for everyone. 

Because if we’re not careful, we could end up like Phil Connors. 

Amanda Larch can be contacted at [email protected].