It’s an even day, and look, here’s my newest post for the September Sapphire Even Day Blog Challenge. Hopefully I’ll be able to hit my marks for the rest of the month. Today we have been asked to write about a book or movie that greatly affected us somehow during our lives.

So here goes. . . you are not allowed to laugh (okay, go ahead and giggle), but perhaps the movie that made the biggest impact on my life was Star Wars (yes, the original the very first time it showed in theaters). It was actually episode IV, but we didn’t know any of that at the time. The year was 1977, I would have been seven years old, and this was my first “grownup” film. My Dad took my sister and I to see the movie in a tiny little theater in Claremore, Okla., and I’m guessing that’s where my love of movies, science-fiction and Harrison Ford first began.

My Dad loved going to the movies and he passed that enjoyment along to his two daughters. Often times, he would splurge on a long-awaited film and take us to see the latest box office matinée. Even as a young adult, my Dad and I often found ourselves at the movies. I could always count on him to spend a hot summer afternoon in the cool seats of the local theater. He unexpectedly passed away several years ago, but to this day if I see a really great film I always think, ”I bet Dad would have enjoyed this one.”

I don’t know if seven is too young to develop a crush, but I hope not because I certainly had one. Forget Luke Skywalker, that Han Solo was just something to behold. To a scrawny little girl in the Midwest he was the definition of tall, dark and handsome, and he was my hero. (Imagine how thrilled I was when Raiders of the Lost Ark first hit the big screen — another of my Dad’s favorites also.)

So as I think about all the movies I’ve enjoyed, disliked or that moved me through my life, the original Star Wars of 1977 just sticks in my mind. I’m sure it’s more about remembering my Dad who first introduced me to a larger than life fantasy land in space, but perhaps it’s also about being able to escape from reality, develop a ludicrous crush or two and just enjoy a few hours of entertainment while eating buttery popcorn and sipping on a soda. Somehow at the movies, my own life is always grand.

For a trip down memory lane and to showcase the ”fabulous” special effects of 1977, I’ve included the original trailer of the film. Enjoy!