It was Sunday noon. The parking lot was already filling up as my sons and I headed to the movie theater’s box-office. On the sidewalk was a police car. It was the first reminder of the tragic events of last week. I can’t remember ever seeing a cop at that movie theater at 12 p.m. on a Sunday.
We bought our tickets, picked three of the available seats and settled in for the nearly three-hour movie. Lights dimmed and the Dark Knight rose. I watched every single person walk in the theater like a hawk. Two of the most precious people in my world sat next to me.
Thirty minutes into it, there was a gun battle on screen. My mind was jarred away from the action as I thought about the victims in Aurora, Colorado. This had to be the point where the gunman walked in and began shooting. Could it happen again? My rational mind quickly settled my irrational mind. I closed my eyes for a moment and said a quick prayer. Then escaped back into the movie.
The Dark Knight Rises is long, complicated, ambitious and a visually rich movie. And there are some pretty powerful messages in it — I particularly liked (slight spoiler) Bruce Wayne’s fighting back and strengthening his will. The movie is entertaining and has a very satisfying ending.
After the lights came back on, the boys and I walked to the car. We were excited about what we had just seen — talking rapidly about what we liked the most. But then, I thought about the victims again. I guess the lesson to take from the tragedy is to live your life in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest because you never know when that moment will be your last. My sons and I had just done that. I started the car and we headed home.