write that down, SpongeBob...

I feel like I need to apologize for romanticizing every little commonplace thing I happen to encounter in this life, but whenever I have a supreme moment or experience, it is left up to me capture that greatness. If the brain is swirling with wonderment, how else to paint a worthy picture other than with lovely swirls and textures. Tonight was an epic evening, though nothing really extraordinary happened. We just went to a show, that's all, but the brief interlude was such a lovely string of events so suitably banded together that as I walked it out, I felt like I was watching my own life in a movie. Like all good things, it started with a feeling of discontent. I know that sounds weird. It just sort of came out, but think about it... when God said it was not good that man should be alone, did not he maketh woman?.... also when you feel bad about something you've said or done, does it not lead you to reconciliation? Good things can come from discontentment. Anyway this discontentment led me to want to do something different today. I had to get out of the house. Suddenly I had the bright idea to go to a movie. There's a new Miyazaki film that just came out called The Wind Rises & I knew that everyone would want to see it. I did a quick check & found it was playing in about an hour. So with a bit of scurrying around, a quick double braiding of one's hair, and a tallying of allowances, we were out the door. It was free parking day downtown. We flew into the parking garage did a quick parallel park & all six of us dashed down the stairs, down the street, & into the wrong theater. Luckily the right theater was only a block away. It was an old theater (built in 1942) & not very well kept, but super quaint, because it was so tiny & the seats were snug & we were all super cozy. The movie was bright & beautiful, just as one would expect. Emmeli leaned over & said, "I love his movies." But I'm telling you there was something in the air, it's really indescribable, but that's why they call it something in the air. As I looked around, everything was so picturesque. Maybe I was just inspired by the artwork in the movie, but I wanted to paint that little theater with it's red curtained walls, it's wonderfully tight seating plan, & all of those little heads poking up from the chairs in front of me. Maybe it's because we were all so close, but I felt strangely connected to that room full of grownup-sized fans of painted movies, though I don 't remember seeing one face. There were a couple of old ladies sitting behind us. I never looked back, but they giggled several times during the movie at things that weren't even funny. The giggles were so sweet & elderly; I promise they sounded just like some old ladies out of another Miyazaki film (probably Ponyo). Infact, I think that's what first caught my attention & alerted me to the fact that something special was happening. I was like, hey, what are they doing here? Actually I had my first hint as we rounded the street corner and smelled popcorn in the air and saw the guy up on the ladder changing the sign in front of the old theater. I just love it when people do things the old way, makes everything feel so legit. So, all of these things coupled with the excitement in Emmeli's eyes! You'd think that the two of us had never been to a show before, we were both so excited. There was another moment in the film where a small child in the theater laughed out loud, a high squealed, superbly babish laugh at just the right moment, as if it had been dubbed into my life story. Do you ever have those moments? where for a moment it's like everything is playing out in slow motion, everything is so perfect and you just want to hold on to and delight in it? I know even with all of this exhortation, I'll never relive this animated little short- the piling into and out of the theater, the dash to & from the car, Emmeli bubbling over with excitement in her little braids, & my childlike, in-tune amazement & wonder at this simple pleasure, a Sunday trip to the movies. It's not that I'll never go to the movies again, or that I'll not yet again marvel at life's simple pleasures, but the beauty of this particular night is cherishable & I want to keep it the only way I know how- filed away, documented, logged into my dearly beloved little commentary.

 

last but not least...

I know to the wrong ears this could sound ridiculous, but I really think this is so sweet. I'll do my best to tell you all about it. A couple of days ago we resurrected Mario Sunshine. (It's a video game.) It used to be our all-time favorite back when it was released in 2002. (That's so crazy. That was twelve years ago!) Maybe we didn't get it when it first came out; maybe it was 2003. Anyway, it's hard to say how long we played this game before it took a back seat to some other video game, but let's just say it became a meaningful part of our family history. Some families have a pool, or a boat, or a cabin in the woods upon which they build family memories; we had Mario Sunshine, and we were happy. In a book titled Story of Success, which I have not read by the way, it repeatedly mentions the "10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. We were all quite good at the game, so I'm just going to assume that we played at least that much. So, 2003.... that means Snow was 7, Daniel was 4, Hannah- 2 & Emmeli- unborn. Assuming we played for at least a couple of years to allow for 10,000 hours, by the time we stopped playing I'm guessing Emmeli was at most 3. The kids have continued to play on and off over the years, but at some point it sort of fizzled out as a family objective. Recently, as I said, we've been playing again, really just for novelty purposes. We were going to see if we could beat the game in one night. Well, of course we didn't, but it has awakened in us a common goal once again. I'm glad I now have all this history recorded, but this was not the purpose of this post. What inspired me to write was this (1) Last night while holding Hannah's hand, with Em sitting on my lap, Ben holding my other hand, & Snow snuggling up next to me while we watched Daniel play his turn, I felt like my kids were all still quite small enough. That is very strange, because it's usually altogether the opposite feeling. I was just so thankful to be all together completely enthralled in this brightly colored world where you run around & spray things with water to beat a weird looking turtle-dog & rescue a pink princess. So that's #1. (2) Sunday night when we were playing, I went downstairs to make everyone a snack & Emmeli came down to keep me informed of what was happening in the story on the game. She told me, excitedly, that Koopa had kidnapped Peach because he thought she was his mommy (as if I didn't know). As she told me this as if it was new news, it dawned on me that this new development with its old familiar feelings for the rest of us was all new to her. The game was not new to her, it was playing it together that was new. It totally warmed my heart. It was an initiation of sorts into our little Mario Sunshine club, which I know sounds ridiculous, but I can't think of any other way to add the proper significance. Sometimes I feel like Em misses out on so many things that the older kids had when they were small, because now we have big (almost adult) kids & family dynamics have changed. When Snow & Daniel were still small, & Hannah was a baby, we were all about Winnie the Pooh and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom & PB&J Otter. Now we're all about the Avengers, & Clue, & the olympics. Not that Emmeli is a baby, but I'm talking about even when she was a toddler. We were just already over all of those books & games we had read/ played120 times over. We had already graduated into Emperor's New Groove, Little Big Planet, & Fantastic Mr. Fox. All of those things are great, they're my favorite, but they're not quite the Discovery Toys, Mother Goose type family times of old. So anyway, this is quite a blog & I have so many other things I should be doing; but life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

 

daylight savings...

"I have to wake up at seven for it to be eight?! My life is ruined!" ~ Emmeli

 

jolly well right...

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do." ~from p. 44

 

long intro...

So, those of you who have been following my blog know that occasionally I just publish these seemingly random one-liners, usually stolen from something I've read... I won't say they are completely unoriginal, because they are indeed original, otherwise I would not have stolen them. I just happened not to be the originator. I do, however, try to always give credit to the author. I realize that since you do not live inside my head, you probably often wonder what in the heck the thing is supposed to mean, but I hope, that that is not the case. I hope it is, in the least, somehow thought provoking for you, even if it does not provoke the same thoughts which I am now thinking to myself.* So here's todays provocation, although I think it is a bit awkward to announce a one-liner, sort of takes away the whole effect. In fact, nevermind. I'm going to reserve it for another post. But, other than the fact that I'm just feeling a bit chatty & wanted to say a little bit more, I wanted to make apologies for not remembering where I stole this most recent line from. All I know is that it's on p.44. Sorry. I often jot these things down, but this time, I apparently forgot to include all of the necessary information. Also, you may notice a bit of catch up over the next few days, because I've accumulated a few of these on random scraps of paper & I want to be sure to deposit them here before they are lost. This is my savings place, where I save my musings for future reference, but you already know that. Thanks for sharing in my thoughts & feelings. I know if you are reading this you care about the writing side of me, which is not entirely the same as the face to face me & that means a lot.

* If you have ever seen the movie "Up", then this last sentence should be read in the voice of Doug. Sometimes, when I'm feeling wordy, my thoughts spew out in the voice of Doug. I love talking in the voice of Doug; & I would be happy to talk with the voice of Doug every day all of the time if people would not kill me for talking like Doug.

 

subdued apprehensive noncomformist...

"Often she fled from the wild beasts, forgetting that she was now a wild beast herself; and, bear as she was, was afraid of the bears."