"The Bottom of the Cup?"
The snow, ice and wind beat hard against the old house, causing it to tremble and whine. Few travelers dared to venture far and so traffic outside her frozen windows was light. Weary of over-eating, reading and riding her exercise bike, she did what she very seldom did and turned on the television set.
But then she remembered she had to check on the turkey which she'd left thawing in the sink. A close friend had given it to her in December and she thought it would be delicious to have this week-end when it seemed like the whole world was celebrating the Super-Bowl. At least it would smell delicious when she returned from Church on Sunday morning to an empty house.
Settling into her wide recliner with the warm heating pad behind her back, a soft wool throw over her lap and her precious dog at her side, she began to scour the channels with the remote control. Ah, this was the life! Let it rain, snow, sleet; let the bitterly cold winds roar......she had it made with her pet, her turkey and her warm, comfy room. She sipped from her hot chocolate and settled on the very first station that looked interesting.
She realized she was watching a movie that was 3/4 over but since she liked Diane Keaton so much, she wanted to see what it was all about. She recognized Steve Martin and realized she was watching "FATHER OF THE BRIDE".
So far, so good. My, they were rich! The wedding plans sounded awesome with hired chefs, gardeners, valets, maids, florists.........apparently, Steve was about to give his only daughter away. She thought of her own daughter who has yet to marry and felt the same feelings. She heard "HERE COMES THE BRIDE" and cried too! She missed her father who had died in 1996 and cried & cried.
At the reception on TV, when the bride and groom danced and kissed and she threw her beautiful bouquet, she bawled her eyes out. It was a gorgeous wedding, a beautifully decorated home & the Mom, Diane Keaton, looked stunning in her beaded dress and heels. The bride's only sibling was her brother who appeared to be 16 years younger than her, the same as her son is to his sister. She cried whenever he said something cute, using up all of the box of kleenex by her chair, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her new red sweater.
When the bride had left on her honeymoon and the little boy is visiting his friends home, the father and mother of the bride share a very private, romantic time in the kitchen. She stopped watching when Diane is dancing in her bare feet with her husband, she just couldn't bear to watch anymore romance. She couldn't see the screen through her tears anyways.
She missed and wanted what they had.....not just the beautiful home with the perfect yard, the money and boats and vehicles, but the relationship's, the jokes, the tenderness, the love. Then she thought of some couples she knew who are not as happy as she is, alone. The ones who sleep in separate bedrooms now, the ones who take separate vacations, the ones who wish they had the courage and strength to leave, the ones who are not in love with their spouse anymore. The ones who stay together simply because of what the neighbors might say if they separated or the ones who stay together "for the kids" or "the grandkids" or care too much what their employer or Pastor would say. The ones who wish they had married someone else or had never married at all......
She decided she needed to switch gears and get out of her melancholy mood so she changed channels to CNN. It used to be informative and up-to-date so she waited for the Superbowl hype to end and listened, really listened to the latest news. But visions of that sky-high wedding cake and the song "THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT" stayed inside her head and she started to cry softly again. She wished she wasn't such a hopeless romantic! Damn!
"Hundreds of people died today in Iraq as suicide bombers blew up a busy Market; hundreds more are seriously injured. At least 20 people are dead following a devastating storm in Fla. with thousands more homeless. The bird flu has people frightened and panicked as an outbreak has been detected.......a newborn baby has been found left in freezing temperatues on a stranger's doorstep........20 dead and over 200,000 homeless in flooded Indonesia........Billie Henderson of The Spinners ("COULD IT BE I'M FALLING IN LOVE" & "THEN CAME YOU") has died at aged 67....Get ready for the SUPERBOWL!! Stay tuned at CNN."
She suddenly sat up straight! This is the REAL world! The fantasy movie she had just watched part of, was just that....a fantasy! She had a healthy son and daughter whom she loves very much; they turned out fine and she's proud of them. No, she never had a wedding or threw a bouquet but who's to say her daughter won't or maybe even she, herself? And as she smells her turkey roasting now that it's Sunday and she has changed from her Sunday church clothes to warm, comfy ones, she is feeling very blessed. She had to put it in perspective and to put it down on paper.
The world is huge, it's enormous, it's gigantic! There are people alone who struggle daily with depression, sadness, lonliness and bitterness. She is not one of those people, thank God. She is appreciative and thankful for her kids, her warm, fuzzy sheets & electric blanket, her food, car, dog, friends, family, neighbors, hobbies, health, books, music, Church, her Minister, her Faith. She is comfortable in her own skin, she likes who she is and what she sees in the mirror when she awakens.
Is your glass half empty or half full? Can you see, as her brother said, "the bottom of the cup?" If you can, then do something about it. Choose to be in love with life.
Still, it would be nice to share this 20 pound turkey with someone! Maybe she'll take some over to the neighbors who have plenty of money but also have three hungry boys. She definitely will take some to a young man she knows who, until last Fall, lived in a fish box. She needs to run to the store anyways; she's all out of kleenex!
The snow, ice and wind beat hard against the old house, causing it to tremble and whine. Few travelers dared to venture far and so traffic outside her frozen windows was light. Weary of over-eating, reading and riding her exercise bike, she did what she very seldom did and turned on the television set.
But then she remembered she had to check on the turkey which she'd left thawing in the sink. A close friend had given it to her in December and she thought it would be delicious to have this week-end when it seemed like the whole world was celebrating the Super-Bowl. At least it would smell delicious when she returned from Church on Sunday morning to an empty house.
Settling into her wide recliner with the warm heating pad behind her back, a soft wool throw over her lap and her precious dog at her side, she began to scour the channels with the remote control. Ah, this was the life! Let it rain, snow, sleet; let the bitterly cold winds roar......she had it made with her pet, her turkey and her warm, comfy room. She sipped from her hot chocolate and settled on the very first station that looked interesting.
She realized she was watching a movie that was 3/4 over but since she liked Diane Keaton so much, she wanted to see what it was all about. She recognized Steve Martin and realized she was watching "FATHER OF THE BRIDE".
So far, so good. My, they were rich! The wedding plans sounded awesome with hired chefs, gardeners, valets, maids, florists.........apparently, Steve was about to give his only daughter away. She thought of her own daughter who has yet to marry and felt the same feelings. She heard "HERE COMES THE BRIDE" and cried too! She missed her father who had died in 1996 and cried & cried.
At the reception on TV, when the bride and groom danced and kissed and she threw her beautiful bouquet, she bawled her eyes out. It was a gorgeous wedding, a beautifully decorated home & the Mom, Diane Keaton, looked stunning in her beaded dress and heels. The bride's only sibling was her brother who appeared to be 16 years younger than her, the same as her son is to his sister. She cried whenever he said something cute, using up all of the box of kleenex by her chair, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her new red sweater.
When the bride had left on her honeymoon and the little boy is visiting his friends home, the father and mother of the bride share a very private, romantic time in the kitchen. She stopped watching when Diane is dancing in her bare feet with her husband, she just couldn't bear to watch anymore romance. She couldn't see the screen through her tears anyways.
She missed and wanted what they had.....not just the beautiful home with the perfect yard, the money and boats and vehicles, but the relationship's, the jokes, the tenderness, the love. Then she thought of some couples she knew who are not as happy as she is, alone. The ones who sleep in separate bedrooms now, the ones who take separate vacations, the ones who wish they had the courage and strength to leave, the ones who are not in love with their spouse anymore. The ones who stay together simply because of what the neighbors might say if they separated or the ones who stay together "for the kids" or "the grandkids" or care too much what their employer or Pastor would say. The ones who wish they had married someone else or had never married at all......
She decided she needed to switch gears and get out of her melancholy mood so she changed channels to CNN. It used to be informative and up-to-date so she waited for the Superbowl hype to end and listened, really listened to the latest news. But visions of that sky-high wedding cake and the song "THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT" stayed inside her head and she started to cry softly again. She wished she wasn't such a hopeless romantic! Damn!
"Hundreds of people died today in Iraq as suicide bombers blew up a busy Market; hundreds more are seriously injured. At least 20 people are dead following a devastating storm in Fla. with thousands more homeless. The bird flu has people frightened and panicked as an outbreak has been detected.......a newborn baby has been found left in freezing temperatues on a stranger's doorstep........20 dead and over 200,000 homeless in flooded Indonesia........Billie Henderson of The Spinners ("COULD IT BE I'M FALLING IN LOVE" & "THEN CAME YOU") has died at aged 67....Get ready for the SUPERBOWL!! Stay tuned at CNN."
She suddenly sat up straight! This is the REAL world! The fantasy movie she had just watched part of, was just that....a fantasy! She had a healthy son and daughter whom she loves very much; they turned out fine and she's proud of them. No, she never had a wedding or threw a bouquet but who's to say her daughter won't or maybe even she, herself? And as she smells her turkey roasting now that it's Sunday and she has changed from her Sunday church clothes to warm, comfy ones, she is feeling very blessed. She had to put it in perspective and to put it down on paper.
The world is huge, it's enormous, it's gigantic! There are people alone who struggle daily with depression, sadness, lonliness and bitterness. She is not one of those people, thank God. She is appreciative and thankful for her kids, her warm, fuzzy sheets & electric blanket, her food, car, dog, friends, family, neighbors, hobbies, health, books, music, Church, her Minister, her Faith. She is comfortable in her own skin, she likes who she is and what she sees in the mirror when she awakens.
Is your glass half empty or half full? Can you see, as her brother said, "the bottom of the cup?" If you can, then do something about it. Choose to be in love with life.
Still, it would be nice to share this 20 pound turkey with someone! Maybe she'll take some over to the neighbors who have plenty of money but also have three hungry boys. She definitely will take some to a young man she knows who, until last Fall, lived in a fish box. She needs to run to the store anyways; she's all out of kleenex!
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