Thoughts on Anniversary Weekend

I've been thinking a lot lately, about life--the diversity, depth, transcendence and oftentimes meaninglessness of the every-day.  The heart-rending, and the yawn-drawing and the soul-destroying and the sleep-inducing-ness of it all, and I'm humbled, and in an awe near desperation for deeper understanding.

Somewhere in the world, someone has just won a contest, and someone has lost an earring.  Somewhere in the world, someone's home has just burned to the ground because of a lazy mistake, and someone else has just been handed the keys to their first real grown-up apartment.  Somewhere in the world, someone has just found out that they were expecting after years of trying and trying, and someone else has lost their favorite dog to a careless driver.

There is someone, out there, right now who is wondering why they can't seem to find anyone who shares their values, and someone whose friends have just surprised them with a birthday lunch.  Somewhere someone is writing a letter of gratitude to a friend, while another is receiving a medical bill they'll never be able to pay.

Somewhere in the world is Manhattan, and there are people in the streets, and people in the penthouses, and people in the taxis and the shopping malls and the fire and police stations.  Many people are working, and some are just thinking, and some are trying not to think.  They're doing the same thing in Tulsa Oklahoma, and in Thailand and Malaysia.

Somewhere in the world are you and me, and we're ordering a pizza and watching Season 9 of The Office on Netflix, because they finally got it up there on October 1st, and we were too cheap to see it any other way.  Somewhere in the world you're telling me that I'm perfect even though my hair is greasy, my jeans are too tight, and I'm wearing one of your T-shirts that you are supposed to wear to work, but you don't because it's hideous.  Somewhere in the world you're good enough for me, and I'm good enough for you, and I'm asking you to find my wedding ring because I've (somewhat ironically) lost it, right here and now on our anniversary.  We're at home instead of going out because somewhere in the world somewhere could be dying, and when they do, someone could call us and you'd have to leave.

Thankfully that doesn't happen.

Somewhere in the world someone is dying, but it's not here, and it's not now, and it's not us.

No, we're not dying.  We're living--living, breathing, eating pizza and watching Netflix, and it's more than OK.

It's more or less perfect.

2 comments :

Cris said...

You are a beautiful writer. But I would love all the same even if you weren't. Mom

Unknown said...

This is wonderful, and you're amazing. Like peanut butter and jelly on toast. You, Katie darling, are a gem.