IT WAS NOT UNTIL WAY INTO my adult life before I ever heard the phrase, “Be in the moment.” And when I finally heard it, I was not sure what it meant. Be in the moment, be where? The reason I did not understand it was because I am not only an ultra-planner, but I am not spontaneous in anything I do. I am one of those individuals who can go from one activity/event to another and another throughout the day. In other words, I can go grocery shopping in the morning after breakfast then go work out at the health club, then meet someone for lunch, then go shopping for several items, get home in time to change clothes then meet up with friends for dinner and maybe a movie or pre-COVID a play. There was and still is little down time in my life. To give you an idea how I am now trying to slow down a bit, I now force myself to take small bites of food to slow myself from just inhaling an entire plate of stuff before the people around me have been able to eat at least half their meal. It has only been the past several years where I made a conscious effort to slow things down to actually taste the food I am eating or take the time to really see what I am doing.      BY SLOWING THINGS DOWN AND TAKING my time, I discovered there are some perfect moments that take place in a day. Watching a bee going from one flower to another, seeing a group of dogs playing in a dog park, sitting in a comfy easy chair reading a pleasurable book; whatever perfect means for each of us, there is a certain satisfaction experiencing perfect moments in life. I recently threw a surprise birthday party and made sure I would “be in the moment.” Seeing the expression of stunned surprise on the guest of honor’s face and feeling in the room the common energy of love and affection from the guests was intoxicating. I can honestly say it was a perfect moment among many that day. The only thing that would have made that party any better would be if it could be repeated. Imagine if we had the ability to relive the day. One could experience all the positivity the day offered, or they could make some changes that would make the day become a perfect one. It is an interesting concept that you can see being played out in this romantic comedy romance.      WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT, NO matter what Mark, played by Kyle Allan (All My Life, The Path-TV), may be doing, he gets to relive the day over again. Not much changes for him until a mysterious girl appears one day. With Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Ben is Back) as Margaret, Jermaine Harris (Ballers-TV) as Henry, Anna Mikami (Vox Lux, Birds of Prey) as Phoebe and Josh Hamilton (Eighth Grade, False Positive) as Daniel; this movie was sweet and charming. The chemistry between Kathryn and Kyle was touching and real. The story has that Groundhog Day movie vibe; however, I found the humor here to more on a gentle level that had a better fit into the story line. The script offered an extra element of compassion that I found heartwarming; it also surprised me a bit. This was a pleasant viewing experience that made me think more about slowing down to experience fully what I am doing. I found the message refreshing and reaffirming, be in the moment.

3 stars