Mike Batie - More Thoughts on "Perks of Being a Wallflower"

I was thinking about what happened to Charlie when he was a child, and how it affected him as he got older. Many people may not realize just how much things that happen to children will affect them throughout their entire lives.

Oh the breakdown scene...maybe a little too close to home,
but I knew exactly how the character felt. —Mike Batie

I read that the age bracket of 6-9 is crucial years when children are forming to a greater degree their own identity—mental, emotional, gender, etc. So when things happen to kids during this time, speaking of abuse, it can really screw them up into adulthood, because trauma was introduced into those tender formative years. I was grateful to see the conflicted character of Charlie in this movie, who was dealing with things that happened to him in his childhood, that he so dearly sought to repress and forget about, but it only got worse. Many survivors of childhood trauma can relate to the flashbacks, seeing things, breakdowns...trying to hold it all in but at some point retreating somewhere private to breakdown. Even if the story is fiction, the author clearly knows what he wrote about.

Mike Batie reviews "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Well there is just so much that I can say about The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Such a wonderfully moving movie! I think many can identify with Charlie, feeling apart from everyone, not sure if he's sane all the time.

I am grateful that my dear friend Nikki introduced me to this movie. It was good to find a character in a movie that I could just connect with so much. There is a great quote in the movie that I'm going to butcher, but Charlie says that his doctor told him, "We can't choose where we come from, but we can choose where to go from there." 

Mike Batie - Daily Quote

Today Mike Batie's qoute is this: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." —C.S. Lewis

Mr. Lewis certainly had a lot of good things to say, he is very quotable. I have collected quite a number of his quotes. I love how he worded what it means to be humble. It doesn't mean being a doormat. That is how I mistakenly viewed myself as being humble, as being a doormat and letting someone walk all over me. This person would try to define me, tell me who I was, and they were often dead wrong...but I would cower or shy away from correcting them or standing my ground, because I thought I was being humble. This person would say mean and hurtful things that made me feel stupid all the time...and I would not stand up for myself or tell them to knock it off because I thought I was being humble, that I was keeping the peace. I could go on and on with examples, but you get the idea. I had the definition of humility all wrong. I THOUGHT LESS OF MYSELF by allowing someone to walk all over me. I should have spoken my mind or gotten the heck out. Now I know that humility is about thinking more about other people, and not thinking less of myself.

Mike Batie reviews "Jack Reacher"

I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard this movie was good, but had some doubts. I came away relatively pleased with the experience. Some of the scenes were disturbing, at least 6 innocent people are killed in this movie, and not in a nice way. That's rather unsettling for me, especially the way it was shown. I can say that the action, plot and even some humor are rather good. I liked the mystery that the movie takes you through the process of solving.

One funny thing, this movie highlights Tom Cruise a lot...like I feel like it worships him, in a "He's still as hot or bad-a as he was in Top Gun." But he's old, and getting older. I just thought it was entertaining in that respect too, like if  you thought about it enough in certain scenes, it was laughable.

All-in-all, I liked this movie pretty well and think any guy would enjoy its action and some good humor that doesn't feel out of place in this action thriller. Mike Batie gives this movie a thumbs-up.

Mike Batie - A New Year - 2013

Mike Batie here again. I'm not going to lie. The year 2012 was the year I hit rock bottom, and when I finally landed at the bottom and lay there on my back, I looked up and saw how far I had to ascend to get to where I both wanted and needed to be. I am amazed at how quickly that ascent has been! Letting go and giving up on things and certain people, and focusing on areas of my metaphorical "garden" that needed tending, and letting the weeds die off on their own while I focused and turned my attention to better things.

I have taken great comfort, solace and motivation in a quote by J.K. Rowling: "Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." What a positive statement. I can see myself no longer standing on a rickety and unstable foundation I'd built (or rather thrown together) over my life and used coping mechanisms to do a balancing act on that unstable pile. Well now that that has been torn down, I can rebuild on a really solid foundation. I like who I am now, who I am becoming, and where I am going in life. New Year's is about new beginnings, and this year is certainly one I am grateful in which to have to begin anew.

Mike Batie - New Year's Eve: The End of 2012

Well, it's the New Year's Eve that wasn't supposed to be. The earth survived threats of an end to the world sparked by misinterpretations of Mayan calendars and the United States survived a very bitterly divisive election year.

2012 was probably one of the hardest years of my life, but also one of the most rewarding. It was in this year that I was rescued from an awful pit that I was in. With the love and support of my amazing parents, family, and friends, I was able to finally let go and move forward in healing, progressing and getting on with life.

I am forever grateful to those who helped me get through this rough year, there are many who probably don't even know they were a huge influence in helping me get through this year, and come out on the other end a more whole and complete person.