Our basement wall collapsed. Well, it didn’t actually collapse, but it was buckling and bowing and basically you could see daylight in between the cement blocks, so it was only a matter of time before the whole thing came tumbling down.
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Quote of the Week for August 25
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” — J.K. Rowling
Climbing Up Hill On Purpose
I changed my walking routine today. Instead of walking around the 2.7 mile loop in front of my house as I have done regularly for the past 11 years, I decided to walk up a steep hill through the forested property owned by the local paper mill. I’ve walked this trail only a handful of times, always with my husband, and the last time was about three years ago. I don’t like walking up hill — it’s too strenuous. I’m from Florida, so I prefer long, flat sandy beaches. I live only a few miles from Mount Monadnock, one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the WORLD, and I’ve never climbed it. Okay, I tried to climb it years ago with my pesky practice husband (we drove up from Boston) and we didn’t make it to the top. Talk about metaphor.
Quote of the Week for Aug. 4
“I wore black because I liked it. I still do, and wearing it still means something to me. It’s still my symbol of rebellion — against a stagnant status quo, against our hypocritical houses of God, against people whose minds are closed to others’ ideas.” — Johnny Cash
Movies That Soothe Our Souls
Last week I visited Jamestown, Rhode Island to visit a dear friend, smell the salt air, and marvel at the horizon line — New Hampshire is beautiful but there are too many trees for this Gulf Coast of Florida girl. Over dinner, we talked about our favorite movies, specifically that go-to movie when we are feeling down. The movie that brings us comfort, kind of like mash potatoes or a pint of ice cream, when our lives and the world seem too unmanageable.
For my friend’s husband, it was Caddy Shack. For me, it was Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson’s screenplay). For my dear friend, it was the Italian film Cinema Paradiso. We have always been close, but at that moment, we became even closer — mutual love of a particular movie can do that, you know — and since she always has the DVD at the ready, we promptly went home and watched it. Again.
The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film in 1989, the movie follows a young Italian boy, his dreams to make movies, and his relationship with his stand-in father, the projectionist at the Cinema Paradiso, the small movie house in his village. The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is transcendent and frankly, makes you want to go kiss someone. If you have never seen Cinema Paradiso, rent the movie, or download it from Netflicks, or whatever it is we do these days to see films. Nothing in theaters this summer compares, and as more tragic news fills our days, we all need places of respite to soothe our souls. For those of you who’ve never seen the movie, here’s a taste to whet your appetite and for those of you who have, a chance to make you laugh/cry again. And tell me please — what is your comfort movie?
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