Walking Among the Stars: A Reflection on a Galaxy Far, Far Away

So yeah, this post might be completely dedicated to the fact I went to the Plaza de Espana today. It's literally just down the street and across the river from my house, and for some reason I didn't feel the urgent need to go down and see it. Today after guys night/afternoon we finished up right around it, so I figured I would pass it to get home. I walked up from behind it but the minute I turned the corner to walk in front of it I did fall quiet in a sense of loving awe. Sure, it's a beautiful building and all, but that's not why. There is a brief scene in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones that was filmed there. When Anakin takes Padme into hiding to escape the seperatists, they flee to her home planet of Naboo. The first thing they do when arrive is go into the royal palace, seen here:

While a bit of editing was done to the actual building, you can see the same columns here:


That's me. In the same place they made Star Wars. Most people who read this know me pretty well. For those who don't, Star Wars has been one of, if not my absolute favorite movie(s) of all time ever since I was little. I remember when I went to blockbuster with my dad and we rented the VHS to watch together for the first time. I remember seeing Episode III when it came out in theaters with my church. But Star Wars is more than just a cherished memory for me. Star Wars got me through quite a bit as a child. I was (apparently) very frightened about getting my hair cut. The reason I say "apparently" is because I don't remember that. All I remember is when I got my hair cut for the first time after moving to TN (so I was like 4 or 5 or something), I thought that the buzzer sounded like a lightsaber. Star Wars kept me from breaking down like I had done so many times before.

I shared this picture on my facebook wall today that I saw another friend post:



While I loved Star Wars as a child, I do not find my continued love of it childish. In Star Wars, I found a world where the good guys won, even against the odds, and the knight saved the princess (whether or not he knew she was his sister). I found that villains, no matter how twisted, have good somewhere deep inside. I found a sanctuary my imagination could recreate when I was afraid. Why should I have been afraid? I was a Jedi. The husband of my 3rd grade teacher had taken the role of my "jedi master" and would let me play with the lightsabers he kept in his classroom. If I saw the man today, I would more likely than not bow and call him Master Pugh. Star Wars gave me tangible examples of perseverance, bravery, and good. So to me, Star Wars has never been just some movies, or books, or video games or toys. Second to God and the Bible, I'd say it's been one of the key things in my life that has shaped how I see the world. And I have no shame in that. That's why as a 19 year old college junior-senior-whatever, I still wear Star Wars t-shirts, and quote the movies, and buy the legos, and watch the movies with an attention-span the likes of which only adderall can supply. If loving Star Wars is wrong, I never want to be right. Ever.

Being able to go here today just brought me that much closer to the world(s) I've loved. For me, if nothing else good happens this trip, it's made it all worth while.

(That's me, btw, fighting Vader)