Procrastination (But I Digress)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

3,000 Miles Away and I'm Not There

It's hard to be 3,000 miles away when your mom is saying the rosary to help forget the pain and your sisters are all bearing the brunt, but as I tell people here--my sisters are tough and they've got their feet under them. I expect mom to make a full and spectacular recovery (whether she wants to or not).

Here's what I do--I'll tell a story. Adam and I went to see "I'm Not There"--the Bob Dylan movie. They present him as six different people--six different images that we have of him or that he has of himself. The musician was a very charming and clever black boy--fast talking, amazing musician always being chased and bullied. The husband and father was an attractive rugged looking fellow who could never quite bring his full attention to his family. The celebrity looked like Bob Dylan--he was always high and being taken care of. He didn't quite know what everyone wanted from him and he challenged them for making assumptions that he owed them anything or that he was saying what they thought he should be saying. The humanitarian was a recluse who left his isolated home to look for his dog. He noticed that all his neighbors were being evicted and downtrodden, but when he tried to look more closely, things disappeared. He always seemed lost. When he finally spoke out against injustice, he became hunted and ran away. He lost his dog.

I've always thought of Bob Dylan as the "this is your brain on drugs" commercial--"This is a great musician, this is a great musician on drugs, any questions?" I never followed much of his music, but occasionally I've been surprised to learn that a song I really like is his. This movie was very well done and gave a broad, expansive view of a person--a gifted artist, uncomfortable with celebrity.

But aside from being a movie about Bob Dylan, I thought the way his life was depicted was really interesting. Adrienne said something last week about mom putting on her company manners. I do perceive myself differently in different situations. When Adrienne is around to provide directions, I pay no attention to where I am or where I am going in the car. I must seem like a complete idiot regarding directions. When I do not have Adrienne to navagate in the car, I am amazing at finding where I am going. I have a keen sense of direction and can usually "feel" my way to my desired location. Two completely different people. I am often accused of being a very quiet person. Just recently at PTA, someone came up to me after a meeting (that I ran as the President) and said, I had no idea you were so outgoing. I see myself as a very take charge person, but I often sit in the background if I have nothing original or productive to offer. It just seems polite. How many actors will play you in the movie?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home