Happy Thursday readers! We are sooo close to making it through another week of this craziness. I myself have recently spent way too much time watching the news and going down endless rabbit holes on social media. Not that it isn’t important to pay attention to what is happening in the world around us, but nothing sounds better than getting away from all the screens and diving into a good book.
And speaking of a good book, can we talk about how awesome Someday, Someday Maybe was! It took me a little longer to finish than I would have liked, but it was a really great read. Franny’s character reminded me a lot of my own journey which made me connect to the story in a special way. Her struggle is something that we have all experienced in one way or another. Being in survival mode for so long makes us complacent and takes our focus away from what we truly want to accomplish. I think Lauren Graham did a great job making Franny very relatable in this way.
Once again, I’ve been thwarted by the massive difference between my vision of the successful me and the me I’m currently stuck with.
Franny Banks, Someday, Someday Maybe
There were also a couple of really cool additions that Lauren Graham added at the end of the book. She included a conversation between her and Mae Whitman where they spoke in depth about the novel and discussed the parts that resonated with them the most. If you don’t know Mae Whitman, she is a very talented actress who played Lauren’s daughter in the show “Parenthood”, which is definitely in my top 3 favorite shows of all time. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend you check it out on Hulu. This show is brilliant and vastly underrated.
Graham also included a list of discussion questions that I thought would be really cool to talk about in this post. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t finished the book, I suggest you do so before reading further, I would hate to spoil anything for you.
Below are three questions from the list that I thought would be great to dive into:
- Is setting a deadline on your dream a good idea? Is setting a deadline on your dream unrealistic? Do you think it ultimately helped or hindered Franny to put a deadline on her dream?
- Putting a deadline on your dream is absolutely a good idea. If you have a deadline and still find yourself waking up in the morning feeling unmotivated or uninspired, then it is time to reevaluate that goal and figure out why it isn’t lighting the fire. It is more unrealistic to sit back and think that your dream is going to magically come true then it is to start the clock and force yourself to make a decision. Franny’s deadline definitely motivated her to start doing everything she could to figure out if acting was really what she wanted to spend the rest of her life pursuing.
Today is the day you have to start believing in yourself. No one can do it for you anymore.
Franny Banks, Someday, Someday Maybe
- Franny appreciates the bridge on the D Train because it helps her put things into perspective. Do you have a D Train bridge in your life? What is it?
- My D-Train bridge is the ocean! My mind never feels more clear than when I am staring out at the endless sea. The problems that I have in life feel so small when I am standing in the sand, letting the water wash over my feet. The smell of the air and the cool breeze make all my worries and stress melt away. And after all the noise is cleared, I can actually think about what is that I truly want and identify what is most important to me.
- What does everyone else see in Franny that she doesn’t see for herself?
- Franny obviously has a hard time seeing how talented and beautiful she is. There are multiple people in her life that tell her she is worthy of great things, but she does not believe them. I think my favorite attempt at getting her to see her greatness was when Franny considers taking the topless acting gig for that horrible (truly terrible) zombie movie, and Deena was adamant in telling her that she would put her entire career in jeopardy if she went through with it. She told Franny that she was one of three people in their entire class that snagged an agent and reminded her that she is one of a kind. Although Deena’s speech didn’t resonate with Franny until later in the book, I appreciated this moment between them.
- I think this is something that a lot of women can relate to. We are truly our own worst enemies. If we could just get out of our own way and realize how strong, beautiful, and capable we are, there is nothing in this world that we couldn’t accomplish.
I could go on and on here, but I will stop myself before this blog post turns into a dissertation on Franny’s life. Please send me a message on IG or leave a comment below if you want to discuss further. I would love to get your thoughts.
Thanks for reading! Stay safe and remember to keep working hard so that dream becomes your reality.
And dear, if you should someday become famous, don’t write a cookbook.”
Barney Sparks, Someday, Someday Maybe
