Love In The Time Of Calamity

Last night I was watching TV, and realized we have absolutely nothing on TiVo suitable for both kids and adults. On the one end there's Kim Possible and Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat With A Long-Ass Stupid Title That Never Seems To End Oh My Stinkin' Hell Show, and on the other there's Californication and Weeds and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Oh and some World Series of Poker thrown in for good measure. We try to cover all the Seven Deadly Sins in our television viewing, you know. We're completists.

Watching the absurd follies of Larry David and his cohorts, it struck me that many, many people I'm close to have been having a horribly suck-ass time lately. Much more than usual. And not the comically well-timed sort either, sadly. Everywhere I turn it seems there's an excess of grim news, misfortune, and accident. Death darkening doors. Estrangement and desertion. I'm not sure what to make of all of it. Should I be plotting moon phases? Consulting old Farmer's Almanacs for insight regarding possible influences written in the changing seasons? Or should I just sit quietly, and wait for the fog to roll back out?

Its easy, at times like these, to feel that the world is coming apart. To let hopelessness take root. And so despairing, to lose sight of things.

But then, as often happens, I found myself at the end of the day perched on my daughter's bed with her, reading The Runaway Bunny and choking back sobs with the turn of every page.

The story is, of course, about constancy, devotion, and a selfless love that seems almost supernatural. It's a meditation on what is most important in our humanity, and how that is unbreakable.

It's about being a Mother.

As I read, all of this flooded into my mind: everything I needed to reminded of. Everything that truly matters floated back to the surface -- wood from a shipwreck that would buoy me to safety.

Well that and to put baby carrots on our shopping list. M loves those fucking things.

Comments

[Kaleigh]

Well said.
Do you remember the figure skating couple from Russia...the husband died quite suddenly? About 10 years ago? They had a little girl, about 2 years old, and the woman wrote about how the little girl still needed to play and eat and all that normal, mundane stuff, and that's what helped her deal with her grief. Moms don't get time off for bereavement. Or anything else, really. (Especially not swanky, hipster parties with open bars, right?) But that mundane work of mothering, it does us good. It makes us better people.

[All Adither]

Yep, that's a classic. When I read it I'm torn between sentiment and thinking that that bunny mom is pretty overbearing.

Hippos go Berserk gets me every time too.

;)

[Jo]

That was perfect.

[angela]

Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat With A Long-Ass Stupid Title That Never Seems To End Oh My Stinkin' Hell Show

I will thank you to stop this right now. I cannot be seen giggling this hard at my desk when no one is talking to me.

[Maria]

Thank you.

[sweetney]

Kaleigh: EXACTLY.

All Adither: we love the berzerk hippos too. so sad about that one hippo, alone once more, missing the other 44. le sigh.

[capacious]

Thank God I'm not the only one who cries reading "The Runaway Bunny." It's so embarrassing.

[2shews]

I have been feeling this pang, too. I know too many kids with Caringbridge sites. Then, last night, OMG, we read "You Are My I Love You" last night and I just about threw myself on to the kids.
I know some day they will be totally grossed out, but for now it's nice to have our own little teddybear types.

[BOSSY]

You managed to mention all of Bossy's current Television Obsessions. Oh, you left out The War series by Ken Burns. Still deciding about that one...

[Jessie Mae]

Oh man. Now I miss my mom. I think I'll go call her.

[sweetney]

Jessie Mae: that's one of the sweetest comments i've ever gotten. thanks!

[ozma]

All I can say is: Yes.