“Mostly Dead is Still a Little Alive”

In the wonderful movie, The Princess Bride, the character Wesley is thought to be dead, and people close to him bring him to Miracle Max, played by Billy Crystal, who examines Wesley’s body and  announces much to their surprise that he’s only mostly dead, which is still a little alive.

It’s a wonderful metaphor to me for things in life that we may think are a lost cause; it could be a project we’re working on, a goal that we had, or a relationship that has soured, but recognizing when it’s just mostly dead and still a little alive might give us some leeway or leverage to improve that situation and make it something viable again.

I guess it’s not a spoiler for you to know that Wesley is revived in Miracle Max’s hut, and quite a few awesome things happen after that.