“How to Die Alone” Could Be the Valentine’s Day Palate-Cleanser You Need

In a world obsessed with romance and having to endure occasionally nauseating couple content and related mainstream media year-round, let’s shake things up this“love” month and talk about being single.
 
“How to Die Alone” is a comedy about a single thirtyish black woman, Mel, who has never been in love.

Mel is a broke airport employee who lives alone in her New York apartment and one day suffers a nearly fatal accident, causing her to take a closer look at her life.

The plot is a little similar to Last Holiday about an also single, also African-American woman, Georgia, who is has a medical misdiagnosis leading her to believe she was terminally ill. This spurs her to quit her job, take all her savings, and pamper herself on the European vacation of her dreams. 

On the other hand, Mel’s epiphany after her near-death experience, realizesit was her fears and insecurities that caused her to miss one opportunity after another:a promotion, a relationship, and so on and so forth.

She realizes the way she’d been living her life was a playbook on how to die alone.

Soshe embarks on a journey of self-discovery… laugh-out-loud funny, self-aware, and realistic.

Without any spoilers, the way Mel acts and reacts to situations around her may seem outlandish onscreen, but after some reflection, it’s surprisingly relatable.
 
Her aviophobia is something she shares with millions of people worldwide. In America alone, 17% of Americans are afraid of flying according to a Boeing survey.

Her trust issues are nothing new. Neither was her imposter syndrome when she rejected an opportunity for a promotion.

She’s just like many of us. 

Contentment with life is a good thing, and turning down opportunities because it doesn’t align with who you want to be is the wise thing to do in the long run.

Example, if you turn down a promotion that you know will force you to put in unreasonable hours and keep you from spending quality time with your family, that’s not a bad decision. If you pause a business opportunity to prioritize your health, that’s also a good choice.

But there’s a difference between never being satisfied and completely avoiding every opportunity or new thing that life throws your way. Turning down opportunities because of fear is something that will most likely cause future regret and discontent.

Is there an opportunity staring you in the face right now and you haven’t acted on? 

It could be returning to school, a change in employment, trying a completely new career, or dabbling in a new hobby that is outside your comfort zone.

The God who fashioned us uniquely is also the One who also preparesthe wayfor us to live fully and make Him known... Which is why our life journeys are remarkably different. The presence of challenges when you take the leap is not a sign that you made the wrong choice but a reminder to trust that the same God who opens the door will also be the same God that makes a way through it.

Now doesn’t that sound much better than living out a playbook on how to die alone?