In the second episode of the podcast, we look at Same Mendes 1999 Oscar-winning film American Beauty, and how it reminds us to really cherish beautiful moments in the ordinary.    A plastic bag and a rose. Two symbols that the film uses to teach us the importance of life’s beauty. Do we focus on the superficial and faux by way of the rose…. or do we seek out moments of real significance. Do we blindly follow societal expectations for that new flashy car, high paying job, or romances with ‘beautiful’ partners… or do we make a greater effort to be awake and present so that we can enjoy the awesome in the benign.