I’m of one of two people in our office serving as a mentor for an Austin High School student, the second year in a row that they’ve had faith in letting me reveal my world of journalism to her. Her being Jora Bothun, a senior who has shown an interest in journalism.

This is an especially big deal considering I live by the words uttered a number of years ago by former employee Amanda McKnight (then Amanda Lillie). Those words: “I struggle with maturity.”

That gains a little more relevance as I do utter things sometimes that make me look at Jora and wonder what exactly is going through her mind and then shutter at the possible outcomes if I ask her.

This was put on display as recently as last week when I, with Jora in tow and with reporter Jordan Gerard, was working on an Austin Living Magazine assignment on a gentleman in town who makes neon signs.

In his workshop was an assortment of parts, glass tubing and signs that filled out the background perfectly. During the dance of moving in the tight confines of the shop, I noticed something that immediately stole my attention from the job. A lamp. But not just an ordinary lamp. This is a lamp that led me directly to a movie. A very special movie that tends to dominate the holiday season.

The infamous sexy-leg lamp from “A Christmas Story.” A number of things ran through my mind: Joy at seeing an actual lamp replicated from the movie and an immediate temptation to reenact the famous scene where the patriarch of the family receives it in the mail. “Well, it’s a major award.”

Ultimately, it was the presence of Jora that stopped me. No sense in destroying a teenage mind and closing it off to the world of journalism with a ridiculous demonstration of acting.

At any rate, this led me to a completely different line of thought — the impact of popular culture on the day-to-day.

Who hasn’t uttered famous lines to favorite movies in the presence of friends, laughing every time. Or even finding some profound meaning through a completely innocent phrase from some video game or song.

It’s there, if you think about it. A good movie, book, game, song can impart more on you than you think and that’s okay. That’s really what they are there for. Real life, and let’s face facts here, isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. We need that distraction. It’s why we crack a beer and put in a movie after a tough day of work or replay that favorite song over and over again.

It’s a director or author’s job to take you away from your life and put you in the middle of theirs. “A Christmas Story” is one of my favorite movies so once I saw the leg that whole scene in the movie became crystal clear and yes in my mind I went through every line.

These reminders serve as signposts to pleasant memories that for a moment have you walking into Mordor with Frodo or solving one of author Dan Brown’s codes from his books. You now have a vested interest because you want to see the conclusion as much as the character does.

In some ways, you are the character.

So yes, in some ways I miss not taking advantage of the moment. Taking the leg out of a box and marveling at the award I just won.

Now, just move it a little to left. The neighbors have to be able to see my major award.