Circumstances

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Today I am grateful for circumstances. John and I are planning on driving into Philadelphia today, just because. Well, not quite. . .I’ve heard a lot about a great place for pie, called Magpie, on 16th and South Street. Seems like a good enough reason for a road trip to us.

When we drive anywhere we have a lot of conversations about various houses and living accommodations. Because all people are different, yet inherently the same we speculate based on the house design, color, location, gardens what the people are like and what they might be doing.

“Someone in there is probably sick or depressed,” I’ll say. He’ll ask why I say that and I’ll tell him that the garden looks like it was once beautiful, but has not been tended in years.

“The guy who lives there is probably an accountant or engineer,” my husband will say, explaining that the symmetry of the porch decorations, precision of the lawn and pristine paint job, would indicate an analytical, probably anal personality.

I’ll mention someone is making love inside that place; that house smacks of sadness; there is alcoholism there; the woman who lives there is horribly abused; that man just lost his wife; those people can’t have children; these folks have more children than they can handle; this family added on in so many different textures and configurations they can’t make a decision to save their lives. Of course, we are full of crap when we make these assumptions. It’s a game. It’s far from fact. You can’t tell what the people inside are like by looking at a house. Otherwise there would not be child abuse in fancy mansions and we know that horror crosses all economic cultures.

The truth is that you never know what is going on behind closed doors any more than you know what a person is feeling, thinking, or struggling with. We become masters at “closing our door” until someone knocks us out of ourselves, insisting on being let in. We still have the choice as to whether or not we open the door. If we’re smart, we open up and let some company inside. If we can’t, then maybe we will be able to let them in tomorrow. We hope that our friends know when the time is right to knock down the door and come in anyway. They usually do.

Our present circumstances don’t allow for a tour of Europe, a road trip across America, or a junket to an island. We have been fortunate and travelled a lot, but it’s like the old song, “How you gonna keep them down on the farm, after they’ve seen paree?” When the bug bites and there is no way to treat the itch, you have to be careful it doesn’t fester into an infection. So we speculate, evaluate, ruminate and dream. John dreams of a house on a lake where the fishing is good and the boat is big. I dream of many book deals and movie/TV rights and getting him his house on a lake as a result. Hey, they’re dreams and dreams have no limits.

We are not alone. Many people would like to go places, or do things that they are unable to do, for whatever reason. Yet as we drive by houses we know that some people don’t care a hoot about traveling. . .they just want their child to not be sick. Others spent long periods of time jobless and homeless and now have a job and a place to live. They don’t care about fancy trips. They are just glad to be settled. Everyone has their own set of circumstances that they cope with.

In my circumstances, if I can have a good old solid belly laugh a day. . .it’s enough! My dreams have been fulfilled and my goal has been met. What about you? What do you need every day?

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