I recently watched the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” though I fully realize I am a little late in doing so. It has been out for over a year at this point, but I’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers.

When people explained the movie to me, they used words like “super hero” and described it as being action-packed. These descriptors seemed a little strange given the studio that worked on it, A24, is known for darker titles such as “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.” Both are excellent movies, but I don’t know that there are titles any less like a “super hero” movie than those.

With all of that in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Everything seemed a little silly on the surface, but it made a lot of sense when you didn’t take it at face value. Like the other A24 titles, it had a story to tell that took a little brain work – but it was worth it.

The core of the movie spends its time explaining life as a sort of multiverse, where there are multiple paths that branch with every choice you make to create versions of yourself that are molded by those choices. Of course this is fiction, but it takes root in reality, too, in that we are so prone to questioning our decisions in hindsight.

I can’t be the only one who sometimes finds themselves mere seconds from falling asleep only to recall a memory that was embarrassing or a time when I wish I had done things differently. I always see, by looking back, how I should have reacted and what the right choice would have been. I think of what I should have said or done, or I lament that something happened at all. I always have the perfect comeback … ten years later.

The movie touched on that very premise. If you knew exactly how something turned out, would you have changed the choice you made and would it have even made you happier than your “imperfect” one did?

My main takeaway from “Everything” is that all moments are meaningful and worth enjoying. It is easy to get swept up in wishing things had turned out differently, but comparison is the thief of joy. We should try to find fulfillment in our life we lead, not in one left in the past. We can’t change decisions we have made, but that doesn’t mean the ones we did make were any less important or deserving of finding joy in, however small it might be. The character Waymond, for instance, finds particular joy in putting googly eyes on everything. I’m with you, Waymond - they are always an improvement.

The movie also served as a reminder that we don’t have to constantly be on the offensive. It is all too easy to immediately grab for criticism or a sharp word when we are hurt or threatened - but sometimes, kindness and understanding for those around you is what a situation calls for. Everything doesn’t have to be a confrontation.

In a world where we can do anything, we can choose to be kind to ourselves and others – and find joy in the small things.

Standard reporter Nikki Childers can be reached at (931) 473-2191.