Was just watching Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Richard Dreyfus and Gene Hackman in "Postcards from the Edge" from Carrie Fisher's book and screenplay, directed by Mike Nichols.
Was so great to see it again. Somehow it was one of those movies that I didn't see in the theaters when it came out, and only saw bits and pieces of it until about three years ago. Hit my life in several ways, but especially just because as baby boomers there is a great deal that we have gone through and that really means a whole bunch to us.
I know, I know . . . all generations have a lot that is important to them. And as children of what Tom Brokaw and others have called "The Greatest Generation" -- and grandchildren of their parents who also went through very tumultuous times, maybe we have always had a huge amount to live up to . . . and even maybe more than most.
No one truly has any other perspective than his or her own.
But what I was thinking about tonight has much to do with all the turmoil of the last twenty years or so as it all seems to keep building and building. Do we expect it to get better?
What have our experiences taught us?
What do our history, the stories and legends we grew up with, our expectations and our input into the world all mean to us now as we are in our fifties and sixties -- and some of us even approaching our 70s?
There is obviously not one simple answer because we all come from a variety of backgrounds, social classes, education and experiences. And make no mistake, we were truly pioneers and on the cusp of a myriad of social changes in almost every perspective of world culture.
We were born right after the horrendous horrible horror that was World War II when pretty near all life on Earth had been affected one way or another by the heinous violence, crimes and atrocities from the war itself to the Holocaust to the employment of nuclear weapons. The world-wide collective post traumatic stress disorder we have all suffered since the mid-20th Century of course has also been exacerbated by the Civil Right's movement that no matter how much time goes on still seems to need to be fought again and again. In addition we have really never been without war and strife since the end of World War II, of course.
The Korean Conflict, the War in Southeast Asia, and all the other wars leading up to this War on Terror and other conflicts driven by economic issues involving oil and other energy resources as well as cultural conflicts based among other factors including age-old cultural and religious rifts and hatreds.
The Women's Rights Movement, too, has had a huge impact on our society and all over the world. These are so much more than interesting times we have lived through and continue to deal with day by day.
All this has been on my mind great deal lately, and I'm not sure why watching "Postcards from the Edge" triggered all of the above. (Oh, yeah. I need to remind you in case you don't know or don't remember, the title of this blog post is "Heartbreak Hotel," which is the song Meryl Streep's character sings at the end of the movie -- just to follow through on the idea!)
Think I will sleep on it and let you know tomorrow, God willing.
May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and everyone you love. Holding in my heart some very good friends and family members going through a great deal lately while also rejoicing in the safe arrival of a new cousin in our family. Isn't life amazing. The Lord is so good to give us our lives, the beauty of the Earth and all the wonderfulness of love.
Was so great to see it again. Somehow it was one of those movies that I didn't see in the theaters when it came out, and only saw bits and pieces of it until about three years ago. Hit my life in several ways, but especially just because as baby boomers there is a great deal that we have gone through and that really means a whole bunch to us.
I know, I know . . . all generations have a lot that is important to them. And as children of what Tom Brokaw and others have called "The Greatest Generation" -- and grandchildren of their parents who also went through very tumultuous times, maybe we have always had a huge amount to live up to . . . and even maybe more than most.
No one truly has any other perspective than his or her own.
But what I was thinking about tonight has much to do with all the turmoil of the last twenty years or so as it all seems to keep building and building. Do we expect it to get better?
What have our experiences taught us?
What do our history, the stories and legends we grew up with, our expectations and our input into the world all mean to us now as we are in our fifties and sixties -- and some of us even approaching our 70s?
There is obviously not one simple answer because we all come from a variety of backgrounds, social classes, education and experiences. And make no mistake, we were truly pioneers and on the cusp of a myriad of social changes in almost every perspective of world culture.
We were born right after the horrendous horrible horror that was World War II when pretty near all life on Earth had been affected one way or another by the heinous violence, crimes and atrocities from the war itself to the Holocaust to the employment of nuclear weapons. The world-wide collective post traumatic stress disorder we have all suffered since the mid-20th Century of course has also been exacerbated by the Civil Right's movement that no matter how much time goes on still seems to need to be fought again and again. In addition we have really never been without war and strife since the end of World War II, of course.
The Korean Conflict, the War in Southeast Asia, and all the other wars leading up to this War on Terror and other conflicts driven by economic issues involving oil and other energy resources as well as cultural conflicts based among other factors including age-old cultural and religious rifts and hatreds.
The Women's Rights Movement, too, has had a huge impact on our society and all over the world. These are so much more than interesting times we have lived through and continue to deal with day by day.
All this has been on my mind great deal lately, and I'm not sure why watching "Postcards from the Edge" triggered all of the above. (Oh, yeah. I need to remind you in case you don't know or don't remember, the title of this blog post is "Heartbreak Hotel," which is the song Meryl Streep's character sings at the end of the movie -- just to follow through on the idea!)
Think I will sleep on it and let you know tomorrow, God willing.
May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and everyone you love. Holding in my heart some very good friends and family members going through a great deal lately while also rejoicing in the safe arrival of a new cousin in our family. Isn't life amazing. The Lord is so good to give us our lives, the beauty of the Earth and all the wonderfulness of love.
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