Meri's Musings

My life has seemed a little constricted the past few days, so I decided it was time for an outing. The Grand Cinema has a film series every Tuesday, featuring films that probably wouldn't draw  a large enough audience for a week-long run, but that have artistic merit. This week's offering was The King's Choice. Norway's King Haakon VII was faced with a choice when the Germans invaded Norway in 1940 -- he could make a unilateral decision to accede to Germany's demands that the Norwegians not resist their occupation (likely saving thousands of lives) and accept a puppet government that had ousted  the duly elected one or he could honor the country's constitution by refusing to negotiate, saying only the Norwegian people  could make such an important decision. An interesting film covering historical events about which I knew little. After that viewing, I took a little detour before going home (and picki...

Sometimes things aren't what they seem. We settle in somewhere, thinking it's going to be safe and hospitable and just what we hoped for, a magical haven that provides us shelter from harm. Then reality sets in and we realize that we were mistaken. That soft place to land turns out to be quite a bit less soft than we'd anticipated. In fact sometimes things get downright hard and cold and unforgiving. Not at all what we expected. Do we stay and make the best of it or fly away to build a new nest somewhere else? Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from learning to see the beauty right in front of your eyes. Sometimes we bloom most gloriously when we learn to thrive just where we are and come to love just what we have. Maybe each of us is exactly where we need to be, learning lessons custom-made for us.

At the Seattle Art Museum's Sculpture Park, there is great concern about preservation of art pieces, seeing as how they're largely outdoors, with no museum staff to watch over them 24/7. So there are signs reminding visitors and similar placards that appear in other places. And I understand completely. But those prohibitions made me think about touch generally and loving touch more specifically. You know what I mean. holding hands cuddling like spoons in a drawer gentle little caresses to the cheek pats on the behind and to quote Crash Davis in Bull Durham "long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days" Oh my. We needn't go farther. I'm feeling faint already. I may swoon. And so in honor of sensual touch, I figured an alteration to those warning signs was definitely in order. But then I'm always looking for signs.