Originally, I had every intention of doing a bit just about Ghostbusters being re-released into the theatres and the cultural and personal impact that the franchise has made. While neither can be discounted, I was somewhat inspired to look at it from a bit of a different point of view.
Ghostbusters hit the screens Jun 1st 1984, it shouldn’t have worked. It should have fallen flat on its face by most measure.
The original concept by Dan Akroyd was more of a vehicle for him and John Belushi to dive more into film. They were to be “Ghostsmashers” and be almost like time lords traveling through time and space to fight these massive ghosts. Almost like a Ghost Task Force or SWAT team. When pitched, the intent was well received, but, due to concerns over budgetary constraints, it demanded a re-write.
At the time of the re-write, the world lost John Belushi, so, that changed the overall group dynamic that was originally devised and made way for Bill Murray. Harold Ramis was able to make some of Akroyd’s giant ideas seem more believable and tangible in our real world. It started to become less far fetched, and more of something that people could view as possible, maybe even probable.
Production went forward and the studio was a bit nervous. A group of guys who still are being tested in Hollywood making a comedy about ghosts…to the tune of 30 Million. That’s a lot of cash in early 1980s dollars. At the test screenings, only around half the special effects were completed, yet, somehow audiences still connected.
Where am I going with this? Is this a history lesson? I know…I know. You see, I was reminded of something as I saw it pop up on my Facebook feed today. A simple strip from my favorite comic strip of all time…Calvin and Hobbes.
“The truth is, most of us discover where we are heading when we arrive.” – Calvin (as written by Bill Watterson)
Sometimes we plan things and we think we know what we want. Sometimes we think Ghostsmashers is going to be the thing. Sometimes we don’t have a clue. However, like Calvin said…and it resonated with me, we discover it when we arrive. Sometimes that arrival is setting a studio record for its opening week. Sometimes it’s becoming something you never really planned on. Sometimes we lose people along the way that were part of our plans. Sometimes we are something we never really knew we were. While, at other times, we knew all along.
When you arrive…own it. You may be a queen, you may be an amazing gamer, and you may be a Ghostbuster…whatever you are, be it. Embrace it. Own it.
If you aren’t sure what you want to be when you grow up, that’s fine. I didn’t either until about 30 minutes ago. I had the realization that Ghostbusters came to me at a time in my life when I needed it the most and I didn’t even realize it. I planted a seed and it grew. It’s opened doors and presented opportunities that I could have never imagined and that I certainly didn’t plan for.
The kicker of it all, I’m no different from anyone reading this. I’m not saying to rush out and throw on a costume, maybe that isn’t you. Then again…I’m not saying don’t.
Discover where you are, discover who you are. If you haven’t yet, know that one day you will. Something will click and it will just feel absolutely right. A perfect fit. I can’t wait for you to get here.
