Dear J-
I learned a lot at 22; storming out of the house early in the morning makes for a horrible day — don’t work yourself up before 6AM, if you can help it; used merchandise dealers can be good or bad, depending on how desperate you look; garage sales and scrounging can be a viable way to furnish a house, depending on how much you’re willing to innovate; air conditioning is not necessarily just for those wallowing in luxury, although a reasonable facsimile can be cobbled together via bus pass and a route map; having a dog swaying gently and wagging from the window as you come home can be the most exciting part of your day; Doritos and spaghetti do not make a filling meal.
Most of all, I learned how lucky I am. We’re fast approaching nine years married; I read about Sam Mendes’ explorations of the American marriage — American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go — and I think about where we fit into that particular ladder; at times it’s as though we’re the sea and shore, relentlessly wearing each other down, especially that first summer together. Lately, though, we move with a kind of rhythm that surprises me more the more often I find it; our lives revolve around this busy caretaking until we fall into a sort of exhausted trance in front of the TV, too spent to do much more than marvel at folks with energy.
The important part is that we keep learning; you’d think by now that I’d know that some questions and requests are not requests at all, or that I should stop worrying about the little things beyond my control. Onward, onward; out and beyond.
Mike
Dear J- 
14 June 2009 at 9:38 am |
You’ve got to go check out the movie Up. I won’t give away a thing about the narrative, except to say that it’s related to your post thematically. Advice: you might want to make sure you have a tissue or two handy – in case the theatre gets suddenly dusty, of course.
The 3D effects are also awesome.
18 June 2009 at 5:19 pm |
I’d thought about Up on our day off today, but ended up watching Departures instead — if you’re up for it and it’s near by, I recommend taking in a viewing if you can.
I think that movie theaters have become veritable dust storms in the past few years, by the way.