Groundhog Day is Wednesday, What’s It To You?
Summary
Groundhog Day is Wednesday, February 2. Instead of watching for a sign that winter’s ending, many are reminded of Bill Murray’s 1993 comedy and what it took for Phil Connors to finally begin reexamining his life and priorities.
by Seth Eisenberg
Groundhog Day is Wednesday, February 2. What’s Groundhog Day mean to you?
Folklore says it’s a chance to discover if winter is coming to an end or dragging on for another six weeks. For me, it’s much more a reminder of the 1993 comedy, Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.
In Groundhog Day, Murray plays an egocentric TV weatherman who finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. By the end, Phil Connors begins to reexamine his life and priorities and groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is saved.
I’m sure many couples in marriage education classes can identify, as so often the issues they come to confide, hear, and finally resolve have been around for months, years, or even decades.
The good news is that relationship skills such as Talking Tips, Emptying the Emotional Jug, and the Fair Fight for Change provide a structure for talking, listening, and dealing with differences in a way that brings couples closer and creates the opportunity to resolve longstanding differences through conversations that matter.
As Groundhog Day approaches, consider taking an issue that’s been coming up in your relationship over and again along with you to an evidence-based relationship skills or marriage education class to give yourself the same chance Phil Conners finally found.
Seth Eisenberg is President of the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation in Weston, Florida, an industry leader in relationship and marriage education.
Funny you should mention this. I recently wrote a post on my blog about that very film.
http://passionateteaching.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/the-education-version-of-groundhog-day/