Groundhogs and Second Chances

Every February 2, it’s the same old thing.  I’m not talking about the over-hyped hoopla surrounding the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil, the famous (infamous?) groundhog from Pennsylvania.  Today’s entry isn’t as rooted in superstition or tradition as the emergence of the groundhog Phil and the importance of his shadow, but features a different well-worn tradition.  Another dependable sight on February 2 is the annual replaying of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. The 30+ year old movie seems to have gained classic status. Its staying power has a lot to do with the appealing characters and kooky comedic bits, but it’s the storyline that captures my attention on this February 2^nd afternoon. In addition to fantasy, humor and the star Bill Murray’s silly antics, the movie offers something I sometimes dream about–perhaps you do too–  a chance for a Do-Over.

As the movie begins, a news reporter named Phil (Hmmm…) who is assigned to cover the Groundhog Day event becomes mysteriously caught in an endless time loop.   Each morning, he awakens in the same location, on the same day, February 2^nd.  As the day repeats ad infinitum, Phil realizes that no matter what he does during the current day, he will wake up again and start all over. Phil is by turns angry, reckless, manipulative and hopeless.  Gradually he realizes that he has been offered the gift of a Do-Over. Even if he can’t change the repetitive pattern of his days, he can change himself. He gets to know the townspeople that he once scorned as hicks. He learns how to play the piano, speak a new language, and create beautiful ice carvings. His plans don’t just include self-betterment.  His personality mellows; he establishes friendships; he even saves a couple of lives for good measure.  When his infatuation with a fellow reporter turns into a sincere love, the cycle is broken.  He awakens on the morning of February 3rd with a new future before him.  As the movie ends, the viewer is left with that feel-good premonition that Phil will have his own happily-ever-after life.

Phil is caught up in a situation that is confusing and frustrating.  No matter what he does, he just cannot escape the people and events that surround him. Then, transformation slowly unfolds. It is not the transformation of time or place or events, but the transformation that Phil himself decides to embark upon.  He realizes that he has the unheard-of chance for a Do-Over.  Heck, he gets dozens of Do-Overs as the weeks pass, even while the date stays the same. He begins to make different choices: about how to treat his co-workers; about challenging himself to learn something new; about truly becoming a part of others’ lives.  I especially like that the plot doesn’t turn just upon these self-discoveries.  It is when Phil decides to cherish his romantic partner that he can fully enter the future. 

Now, it’s easy to become heavy-handed and moralistic about the “lessons” to be learned from this movie. It would be even easier to futilely long for the chance to change some past decisions.  While it is not possible to truly have a Do-Over, much as I might wish for one, the movie does offer a glimpse into something else: the chance to meet the days ahead of me with a renewed sense of hope, compassion and curiosity. Groundhog Day is not really about a little brown rat-like creature and the humans who create an overwrought world around it.  It is about transformation.  Who knew?

There is another classic that Groundhog Day (the movie, not the rodent) reminds me of—the old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness, and the verses upon which it is based.  Though the idea of a Do-Over was long in the future, the lyrics do describe God’s faithfulness and the joys that are new each morning.  (The hymn even mentions mornings and a shadow –The perfect Groundhog Day Hymn, I say!)

Great is Thy Faithfulness…

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not,

Thy compassions they fail not…

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me. ¹

The verses of this old hymn are based on an even older text – Lamentations 3:22-23. I especially like this version from The Message:

There’s one [other] thing I remember,

And remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,

His merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

They’re created new every morning.

How great is your faithfulness!

Every morning, Phil woke up to the same old world, yet he discovered that he did not have to continue his same old life of cynicism and selfishness. Who knew that a comedy from the last century could contain such a timeless message: There is a newness every morning; There is hope every single day; There is mercy and joy the moment we open our eyes and step into the present. Do-Over or Transformation, they all add up to the same thing. I’m not sure if a groundhog actually changes much over its lifetime, but we humans?  With the help of God’s Presence and the companionship of wise ones who surround us, we certainly can.

The day’s not quite over yet, and I’ll bet any television surfing session will easily queue that old movie.  I plan to look at it a bit more closely than I have in times past.  I just might catch sight of hope in the form of a little brown creature and a much larger human one—both named Phil.   

For me, newness is often found within the faithful presence of God, for God is always about the business of creating, always about the gift of hope, always about inhabiting the present with joy… and the future with hope.  I’m 100% confident that when I wake up tomorrow morning, it will be February 3.  I’m 100% confident that God awaits me there with a newness and a freshness that even these occasionally jaded eyes can see, and these well-worn ears can hear. Same old me…same eternally young Spirit ready to greet me.

Happy Groundhog Day!

¹Great is Thy Faithfulness, Chalice Hymnal, Chalice Press, 1995.

Featured Photo by Katieb, downloaded from Unsplash Free Photos.