Life Imitating Art

Family drives RV to Oregon with dead grandmother in back.

This so reminded me of one of my favorite, no-brainer movies "Vacation."

Life reflected

I have a birthday later this month and I make it a time to do an annual life performance review. Most people do this New Year's Eve, but I am a bit of a contrarian, you know.

Last year, when I turned 57, I was prepared to die, but I wasn't suicidal. The last kid was out of college, employed and loving her new business enterprise. Older child was married to a great guy, both employed and very happy. Parents were in good health for their age and self-sufficient. Hubby content as always. I was semi-retired and enjoying a less complicated life.

I had traveled to most every place I truly wanted to see (except #1 daughter's new digs). I knew I'd never have time to read all the books I wanted to read - I am a realist. I had had a successful business life, a good marriage and good health, and comfortable home. I volunteered in community organizations and enjoyed a wide range of friends. I was pleased with where I was at that moment and what I had accomplished. I had few regrets.

Life was certainly good, and for a fleeting moment it crossed my mind that if I died that day, it would be OK because I was so totally satisfied with my life. I had accomplished what I wanted, I was no longer responsible for anyone, no one absolutely needed me, and everyone around me would be just fine whether I was here or not. Although I did hope they would miss me.

It was very liberating to feel that way - to truly be at peace and fully satisfied with one's life, at least for one brief moment. I imagine that those moments when everything seems to be in perfect sync are rare, but I hope that someday I will experience that feeling again. I am betting that that they occur more often as one progresses into the last third of life.

Juno Gem

I know now why everyone is raving about the movie "Juno." What a little jewel among all the big budget movies out there!

It is a story about an unconventional 16 year old who gets pregnant and how she handles the situation. She has caring parents including a step-mother who isn't wicked and a father with some relationship wisdom. She has a sweet nerdy boyfriend whom she hasn't learned to appreciate. Ellen Page is magnificent as the quirky teen who vacillates from an I-have-all-this-under-control grown-up attitude to the animated, immature adolescent she really is.

The PG-13 movie was half-filled with young teenage girls, giggly and giddy before the movie, subdued after. I hope it was a sign that this movie, in its serious comedy way, drove home the point that pregnancy requires some big-time decisions that adolescents shouldn't have to face. The scene at the hospital near the end tells the real story without saying any words.

The writing and acting are superb. The music is perfect. Go see this movie.

Tattle Tale

I tattled today and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Several months ago, I entered a room shortly before a meeting and made myself comfortable in the nearest available chair. After introducing myself, the man conducting the meeting looked directly at me and made a blatant comment about a couple of my body parts - no not those - my eyes.

If this had occurred at a bar, I would have dismissed the comment with a thank you. This, however, came at a business meeting from a State employee who was there to provide information to us. We were speechless. The comment was ignored, but several of us did have a difficult time with his credibility after that. The others told me later they wished they had a photograph of the look on my face when he made the comment.

I am not a feminist, nor am I a prude. I have spent a great portion of my adult life working in male-dominated areas and have often been the sole woman in many business meetings. Never had I experienced a blatant pick-up line on any of those occasions. What happened to all the sexual harassment training from the 20Th century? This guy was a chip off Michael Scott from The Office. Michael Scott is very funny on TV, but not at a real live meeting with my tax dollars paying his salary.

Today his boss (a woman) met with our group on other matters. We had discussed whether or not we should bring up the incident. The consensus was yes, inappropriate behavior should be stopped or it will continue here and elsewhere.

So with reluctance and support of the group who were witnesses to the event, I tattled on the guy. Perhaps his wife will hear about his behavior and solve the problem for us.

I have resolved to reduce.

I have become bulimic. I've been purging the past few days and hope to continue it throughout 2008.

I started with the easy stuff. You may have noticed that this week I deleted 155 posts, which represented everything I had written since July when I started this blog. Since I am not nostalgic in a wishful, yearning sort of way, I wiped away the slate of old thoughts and I'm on to the new. Let''s face it - who is really going to go back and read all those posts anyway?

I've also gone through a couple photo albums, giving some pictures to relatives and tossing out pics of childhood neighbors I haven't seen in 50 years and can barely remember their names. Also tossed are those family Christmas pictures which people that I barely knew sent me with their cards. For years I felt so guilty about throwing out any one's picture that my collection of stranger families had out-grown a drawer. So now they are in the trash along with the wilted lettuce. I did feel guilty for a while, but after I purged - well, you know how much better you feel after a good hurl.

I live in a very large old home. It's probably going to take me all year to get rid of the excess. By this time next year, hopefully the purging will be done and I may then rid myself of the house itself. I need no other resolutions this year. I'll be too busy slimming down.

Back in the saddle

This is my favorite sticky note pad. It says a great deal about how I've lived the past few days.

Drama belongs in a theater. Outside of that, I hate it, especially when it comes from misunderstandings among very good people who don't immediately address issues when they first become problematic. Common sense and effective communication can go a long way in those situations. That is where I am today and hopefully things are back to normal.

So now you are asking why it is I have this split and swollen lip and sore tooth that is forcing me to eat small bites and preventing me from smiling. It was not a result of the past few days' tension. No, I was not beaten silly by a gang of gray haired women in Christmas sweaters. I ended an exhausting week by briskly walking in the dark into the edge of an open door I thought was closed. It either knocked me silly or knocked some sense into me. We shall see how it turns out by 2008.

Happy New Year.

Catch Her in the Wry is making some changes in the next few weeks and will be out of commission until things are resolved. I'll be reading, but not writing. See you later.