“We-we-we,” hollers my Son, Liam with arms flailing as he sets of whirling across the kitchen. He annunciates the three syllables sounding like a German speaking English, with the Ws sounding more like Vs. Every word and activity he partakes in induce a state of wonderment in me, as he is 20 months old but, this particular one is my favorite at the moment.
This is a spontaneous game, in that he is not mimicking something he witnessed another child do and because this twister of toddler energy can begin churning at a moment’s notice. The freedom of his spin amazes me; he has absolutely not a care as he moves.
My adoration for this sport had selfishly caused me to provoke the activity by chanting the words, “We-we-we.” He would hear me, giggle and start twirling with a look of joy painted on his little face. I envy him. I remember a time when as a child I did precisely the same thing, churning around in circles with reckless abandon until the room started shifting. There was fun in the dizziness and the lack of control.
Post dinner Sunday night my husband and I were sitting at the kitchen table, and our children were running from the living room into the kitchen. For lack of a better phrase they were rough housing, as a toddler and a preschooler often will. It was 7pm and somehow our children seemed as though they had boundless liveliness. They often seem like Energizer Bunnies to me as they just keep going and going and going. If I could harness and bottle their energy, Cap and Trade would be unnecessary and I would make millions.
I shouted the words, “We-we-we” and hurricane Liam commenced. My husband, Jim started lecturing me not to encourage the baby. (Late preface: a month and a half ago on a similar Sunday night the kids were jetting around the house, my son crashed into a nested table, we visited the emergency room as a precaution due to the bump but, everything was fine.) Just as my husband is rebuking me, Liam spins off, loses his balance and crashes into the kitchen wall with a thud. As I scooped my son up in my arms to comfort him, a simple thought crept into my subconscious, that there are consequences to, “We-we-we.”
Life is a series of happenings; WE are left to cope with whatever the days have in store for us. I, being an extremely prudent person grapple with my inability to control the world. Openly, it agitates me as a planner that I am unable to constrain my fate. Always, I think before I proceed. Maybe I think too much about the domino effect of my decisions. There are some people in the world that never think before they act and the THOUGHTFUL live at the whim of their portion.
Consider that a friend of mine lost her 36 year old brother last year due to a collision with a drunk and drug impaired driver. Her brother was doing everything right in his life being an upstanding member of society, contributing to the world for the greater good. For reasons unknown he was travelling on the same road, at the same time conservatively in his lane and this heedless woman drove oncoming into his lane killing both drivers. It’s completely unfair that this person imposed doom and took the life of my friend’s brother. Destiny and the universe intervene. We are all literally displaced from our given courses. Balance is lost.
Funny that Liam’s simple spinning evoked such an intense line of thought. Although I still prize the unbound nature of “We-we-we” and the unknowing nature of childhood; I am aware that I cannot spin freely through life. Spinning carelessly would only add to my peril. I suppose you have to strike a balance of cautious spinning. Three days later there is a still a bruise on my Son’s brow, which is representative of the effect of life’s experiences on all of us for me. Going forward I have decided to cease inspiriting my little spinner. If he starts spinning I hope he will recall that there are consequences to, “We-we-we.”
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Accountability and Worldwide Pants
There’s a show on CBS that stars Juliana Marguiles called the Good Wife; it’s about a woman that has to rebuild her life after being publicly disgraced by her politician husband’s sex and corruption scandal. The show was somewhat inspired by the Elliot Spitzer Scandal in New York. Every time this subject arises, whether in fiction or real life I get a bit fired up.
Thursday night I watched the most pathetic display of an apology on the Late Show with David Letterman. “Oh poor you, Mr. Letterman, someone tried to extort you and I do not pity you at all,” I say. Letterman carried on about how he wanted to protect his family and that was why he was using his late night show as a forum to discuss the matter. I fully acknowledge that blackmail and extortion are horrendous crimes. No public figure should be extorted. At the same time, David Letterman could have best protected his family and the sanctity of his marriage by keeping his worldwide pants closed.
If you choose to lead a public life and elect to embarrass those you allegedly love publicly then you had better give a groveling public apology. Self deprecating humor about the women you had your office trysts with is awkward and inappropriate at best. Mr. Letterman should have gone on TV mentioned something about how his lawyers are handling extortion matter and then spent the duration of his monologue giving a humble apology. He chose to give himself a little extortion self pity party and there was barely any accountability in the words that came out of his mouth.
As an aside, HUGE personal pet peeve for me with people, no one is accountable for their actions anymore. Society completely lacks answerability. Masses of people pass the buck and accept no responsibility for their actions in day to day life. Basically, Dave Letterman is atypical of everything that is wrong with the world in my eyes. Not even touching on the fact here that the tabloids are now alleging some of his office exploits were with interns. Not entirely surprised that his moral barometer is broken because a few months ago he thought it fine to make statutory rape jokes.
Why do these women, Silda Spitzer, Dina McGreevey, and even Hillary Clinton stay with these men that publicly humiliate them?, Why are they standing by their men after these very public indiscretions? For some reason, the level of my vexation increases more if the parties involved have daughters. The message is, “As a woman you should allow men to mistreat you, follow my lead girls.” Is this about money? Is this about being on the arm of someone powerful? I am at a loss.
In June, I nearly attacked the television screen as I viewed Mark Sanford confessing to having an affair with an Argentine journalist when he claimed he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Apparently, Sanford’s Wife, Jenny became aware of the affair in January of 2009, after she found a letter to the mistress. Two weeks prior to the story exploding in the press the two had separated. Again the press conference apology was entirely awkward, with Sanford sounding more like he was begging forgiveness of the mistress, than his wife. He’s given interviews where he has admitted that he has crossed the line with several women over the course of his 20 year marriage.
Infidelity in marriage, both of the heart and in the bedroom is a concept I will never grasp. Perhaps I am an all or nothing person. Why commit yourself to someone or some people or, remain committed to someone if you are going to be unfaithful? Why remain with someone that clearly does not love you if they are willing to trample on your heart? Why would anyone desire to be with someone that wants to be with other persons/people? Everyone is being shortchanged in this scenario, right?
Just once, when these public dramas play out I would love to see revenge exacted publicly by the victim. I wait for the day when the perpetrator’s handlers convince someone to be reckoned with out onto the podium to stand adjacent to aforementioned jackass. Then, I will cheer as the victim becomes the victor, grabbing hold of the microphone and publicly lambasting said offender. This individual would be my hero. If a genuine apology is not forthcoming, matters should be taken into your own hands.
Thursday night I watched the most pathetic display of an apology on the Late Show with David Letterman. “Oh poor you, Mr. Letterman, someone tried to extort you and I do not pity you at all,” I say. Letterman carried on about how he wanted to protect his family and that was why he was using his late night show as a forum to discuss the matter. I fully acknowledge that blackmail and extortion are horrendous crimes. No public figure should be extorted. At the same time, David Letterman could have best protected his family and the sanctity of his marriage by keeping his worldwide pants closed.
If you choose to lead a public life and elect to embarrass those you allegedly love publicly then you had better give a groveling public apology. Self deprecating humor about the women you had your office trysts with is awkward and inappropriate at best. Mr. Letterman should have gone on TV mentioned something about how his lawyers are handling extortion matter and then spent the duration of his monologue giving a humble apology. He chose to give himself a little extortion self pity party and there was barely any accountability in the words that came out of his mouth.
As an aside, HUGE personal pet peeve for me with people, no one is accountable for their actions anymore. Society completely lacks answerability. Masses of people pass the buck and accept no responsibility for their actions in day to day life. Basically, Dave Letterman is atypical of everything that is wrong with the world in my eyes. Not even touching on the fact here that the tabloids are now alleging some of his office exploits were with interns. Not entirely surprised that his moral barometer is broken because a few months ago he thought it fine to make statutory rape jokes.
Why do these women, Silda Spitzer, Dina McGreevey, and even Hillary Clinton stay with these men that publicly humiliate them?, Why are they standing by their men after these very public indiscretions? For some reason, the level of my vexation increases more if the parties involved have daughters. The message is, “As a woman you should allow men to mistreat you, follow my lead girls.” Is this about money? Is this about being on the arm of someone powerful? I am at a loss.
In June, I nearly attacked the television screen as I viewed Mark Sanford confessing to having an affair with an Argentine journalist when he claimed he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Apparently, Sanford’s Wife, Jenny became aware of the affair in January of 2009, after she found a letter to the mistress. Two weeks prior to the story exploding in the press the two had separated. Again the press conference apology was entirely awkward, with Sanford sounding more like he was begging forgiveness of the mistress, than his wife. He’s given interviews where he has admitted that he has crossed the line with several women over the course of his 20 year marriage.
Infidelity in marriage, both of the heart and in the bedroom is a concept I will never grasp. Perhaps I am an all or nothing person. Why commit yourself to someone or some people or, remain committed to someone if you are going to be unfaithful? Why remain with someone that clearly does not love you if they are willing to trample on your heart? Why would anyone desire to be with someone that wants to be with other persons/people? Everyone is being shortchanged in this scenario, right?
Just once, when these public dramas play out I would love to see revenge exacted publicly by the victim. I wait for the day when the perpetrator’s handlers convince someone to be reckoned with out onto the podium to stand adjacent to aforementioned jackass. Then, I will cheer as the victim becomes the victor, grabbing hold of the microphone and publicly lambasting said offender. This individual would be my hero. If a genuine apology is not forthcoming, matters should be taken into your own hands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)