Monday, August 4, 2014

Everyday Stories

Her dad dropped her off and the moment she stepped onto our porch she looked terrified, sweet but terrified.  Tim was talking to a salesman (yeah, there are still door-to-door salespeople!) on our porch trying not to get sucked into his "I'm just a poor college kid trying to sell these books to get money for school" pitch.  Wade was jumping on Peyton's back trying to "bring him down."  JT was riding his skateboard through the living room.  Lucy was upset that no one was listening to her.  The dog was barking and chasing her tail.  And I was yelling for everyone to line up so they could introduce each other to the new sitter "von Trapp style."  

Our 15-year-old babysitter looked like she wanted to run screaming for her dad's car.  To her credit, she did not.  She stayed.  

After a quick introduction that didn't involve singing, Tim and I got out of there before she could change her mind.


We kind of look like we are saying "see you sucker" in this selfie.  We aren't.  Sure we are pretty happy about being out, but we felt badly about leaving our new sitter with the chaos that is our life. (Not badly enough to not go however.) 

Tim and I needed a night out.  Everyone says that date nights are crucial to long, happy marriages right?  And one of our favorite dates is to see a movie together.  No joke, we love it.  Always have and hope we always will.

When I first read about the movie Boyhood, I knew I wanted to see it.  The only theater it was showing in was the theater where they show films, indie/arty movies.  

Tim isn't a super fan of those types of movies or films.  I was worried he wouldn't want to go, so I showed him the trailer.  The trailer where it talks about how the writer/director Richard Linklater took 12 years to make the movie.  He used the same cast--Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and more--and filmed them over the years to tell a story.  Tim saw it and was in.

(This is the trailer that I showed Tim that convinced him to go see the movie.  Click here in case the video didn't load.)

I went into the theater with pretty huge expectations.  I left the theater happier than I thought I would.  Actually I was all weepy and nostalgic and vulnerable and in awe and reflective and appreciative and empathetic.  It also made me want to listen to really good music.

The movie made me think about my sons.  It made my heart ache for my younger brothers and my single mother.  

Boyhood follows the life of little boy and his sister and divorced parents.  The movie is about all the simple moments and how they make a big life.  It's about time passing and people learning and growing and repeating and hurting and surviving and forgiving and figuring things out, or not.  

The movie captures the powerless feeling of being a child of divorce better than almost any I've seen before.  It also shows the struggle of a single mother balancing, or trying to balance, caring for her children, working and finding love.  Patricia Arquette plays the role beautifully.  Ethan Hawke is so good as the rarely portrayed loving single father.

The movie took my breath away.  It's not a sob fest full of climactic heartbreaking problems that get solved when the movie is over.  Nope.  The movie takes your breath away and makes you cry because it's so honest and shows us it's not always about the big climactic heartbreaking or joyful moments...what makes a life is the everyday.  And everyday goes by fast. 

The movie reminded me to pay attention, soak up the good, laugh at the silly and not get too down about the bad, and that good music is essential.  Even though I try to live like this and tell the stories of my family, I'm so glad that I got the beautiful reminder that is Boyhood.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing things we normally do, like going to the farmer's market and riding bikes and hanging on our porch.  Simple, but huge...our everyday story.



My littlest boy enjoying his everyday-day with dirty fingernails, a KoolAid mustache and a ladybug balloon. 



I was singing like the von Trapps.


They were not. Ha!

We take up a the whole sidewalk.
Breakfast on the porch in the summers will be part of my kids' hood stories.

So will taking selfies in the dressing room at the department store.




3 comments:

  1. First of all, I love everything about the picture of you riding the bike.
    And your breakfasts on the porch make me want to go out searching for a table to fit on my porch.
    I have been patiently waiting for Boyhood to come to a semi-nearby theater, now even more so after reading this.

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  2. I cannot wait to watch this movie!
    And I agree - all the moments, big and small, they do tell our stories.

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  3. I really do love Richard Linklater. I'll have to check this movie out. I'm a huge indie film fan, while my husband wants to watch Pacific Rim. Which was actually better than I expected, but shhhhhhh. Don't tell him.

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