Goldie Hawn – who says she’s most proud of being a “happiness expert” and who is also known for her MindUp educational foundation besides being an award-winning actress – has shared some valuable advice about life with us. What do you think?
Level: B1/B2 and above
Vocabulary
Sentence patterns
Goldie Hawn possesses an eternal youthfulness that makes it hard to believe (= it is hard to believe that) she turns 70 years old on Nov. 21.
For someone who built a career off of being dim (=not too smart), the actress has had the last laugh (=she is a winner). Not only has she received professional accolades (=praises, awards) (like an Academy Award for Private Benjamin), but after two failed early marriages, she has had one of the most enduring (=lasting for a long time) relationships in Hollywood. She’s spent more than 30 years with Kurt Russell, with whom she raised four children, including actors Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, in their blended family (=a family where the kids come from the current and previous relationships of their parents). And throughout her life in the spotlight, she’s maintained (=kept) that sunny disposition (=good mood) through a lot of personal enlightenment (not just anyone can call themselves a happiness expert (=someone who knows a lot about something).
In honor of her milestone birthday — which is probably best celebrated with a Goldie movie marathon, including Protocol, First Wives Club, and Overboard at home this weekend (“No dear, I’m not a chicken, I’m an emu”) — we present to you seven of her best quotes:
Her approach to life: “I go in headfirst (=do something without thinking too much about it beforehand), I make mistakes, and I don’t regret (=feel sorry about) any of them.” – to the New York Times, 1996
Becoming an actress: “I didn’t become a movie star because I made people cry or because I had some incredible romantic persona. I came on the scene with an effervescence (=lively, bubbly personality) and a lightness and an ability to elevate spirits (=make people happy), which, by the way, I do not sell short (=underrrate, not think much of).” – to Fame magazine, via the Los Angeles Times, in 1990
Navigating stardom: “I went to a psychologist because I had lost my smile. I was forcing an emotion that had been so natural to me and that now I didn’t feel. I was out in space. I was no longer authentic (=real). This happens to a lot of us at one time or another. And so I spent many years in analysis, long after I lost that anxiety. Analysis is about self-discovery, and once you begin to answer questions about yourself, that’s the beginning of one of the best parts of your life.” – to Prevention in 2012
Being a supporter of women: “I’m a girl’s girl. If I ever turned a woman off (= irritate, offend a woman) I would be devastated (=very sorry). I do love men and I love making love to men, but my sexuality isn’t a weapon or a device. It never has been.” – to the New York Times in 1996
Motherhood: “We as mothers have to be able not just to pass the baton (=give something important to do to someone else), but give our daughters free rein to (=let them) grow, to make mistakes. It doesn’t mean they’re not watched, but it means they’re honored. And you watch them individually. You watch them fight you. Being a mother also is witnessing. Just be there. You don’t have to power over. Certainly in my life, having a daughter follow in mom’s footstep isn’t easy. [Kate] said, ‘Hey I’m my own person,’ and dammit, we made sure she was. I believe this is one of the most important things as a parent you can do, which is to let go (=let your children be themselves) at times so these children can formulate their own identity.” – on Oprah’s Master Class in 2012
Not marrying Kurt: “A lasting relationship isn’t about marriage. It’s about compatibility and communication. And you both need to want it to work. If one person does not want it to work, it isn’t going to work. Intention (=wanting to do something) is the key. It’s also about not losing yourself in each other. Being together, two pillars holding up the house and the roof, and being different, not having to agree on everything, learning how to deal with (=handle something, e.g., a problem) not agreeing. Everything’s a choice.” – to Porter Magazine in June 2015.
Source: yahoo.com original article by Suzy Byrne
SENTENCE PATTERN TO KNOW – Word order in sentences beginning with ‘Not only...’
Not only has she received professional accolades (=praises, awards), but she has had one of the most enduring (=lasting for a long time) relationships in Hollywood.
Notice the change in the word order of the first part of the sentence after ‘not only‘!
Photo: yahoo.com
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