Confession: A major incentive to go to a movie is the popcorn. Yes, the movie is important, but the popcorn can tip the scale.

Fact 1: I like most varieties of popcorn. But theater popcorn is the best. (My opinion. I have no issue with those who disagree.)

Fact 2: Popcorn crunching time tends to be the first 30 minutes in the theater chair – waiting for the movie to start. First come advertisements, the request to shut off cellphones and be respectful, and note the exits. Then the previews start. Those I enjoy.

So I’m at the cinema this past week. While enjoying my popcorn time, something strange happened when movie previews started bursting on the screen.

I noticed each clip was punching one of my emotional buttons. They were hitting triggers that suddenly pulled me in, even without the full background story.

Normally, I’d just be watching and judging – do I want to watch this movie? But I was busier reacting to the moments. Actual emotional reactions.

You know that heart tug you feel when the underdog, beaten and broken, somehow gets up and stands tall and victorious? Truth wins. Justice wins. Love wins. That’s what I’m talking about.

I was surprised by what was happening. I think this might be an aging thing. Getting emotional at the tiniest things: a simple sentence, an old photo, the dog looking at me with those eyes, and yes, scenes from a movie. This happens a lot more than it used to.

This certainly did not stop the steady pace of my hand diving into the bucket of popcorn to continue munching through the emotional ride I was taking. (One must keep up when sharing popcorn.)

But I started thinking about the whole trailer concept and how it was working so well on me. My imagination has a long leash, so it started wandering. This usually starts with a question.

This question hit me ... if I were telling the story of my life, what kind of previews would I use to trigger the same connections I was currently feeling?

I needed to recall highlights from my life that could roll into cinematic scenes. By that I mean poignant moments, scary events, funny incidents, or even tragic or courageous events.

I don’t see my life as a great movie. But we all have episodes that are worth a story to tell. This is not about making a life movie, though. It’s about thinking back on moments that hit those emotional peaks.

Those movie clips suggested an interesting way to assess my life. Or your life? This could be a great way to recapture and savor memories. Imagine a cinematic clip of the day your children were born. Or the day you proposed. That first kiss. Winning a race. Losing a race.

This method of memory forces you to recall tiny details to capture on film. You need a tight camera focus on faces showing smiles … or tears. Or the footprints made in the sand that day on the beach. The bucket seats in that first car you owned and loved.

You could make a game of this, a writing prompt, a good dinner conversation, or keep it very personal in a daily journal. (I’m doing my usual and tossing the thought into a column.)

Don’t panic. I’m not going to make you sit through a trailer of my life. I simply want to share the idea that all of us could put together cinematic clips from our lives. If your life is like mine, it’s full of scenes that punch those emotional buttons.

Try it. Lean back, feet up, with your brand of popcorn, and let the film roll.

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His PaperWork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail the NewsTribune, 426 Second St., La Salle IL 61301.