Skip to main content

Text Message

I had a bad night on Saturday.  It started of good, but then someone did something and it really hurt me.  Not so much the action, but when someone who hasn't seen you in a while chooses to embarrass you instead of saying hello, it makes you question if they were ever really a friend to begin with.  I won't mention the other things about this person, because most people would wonder what the hell I was friends with them in the first place for.  This is not the point of the story.

The point is. I feel like people have really just started to let me down.  New and old friends alike just never seem to step up.  It seems like nobody cares about anyone else anymore.  The world has become so self absorbed that doing for others has become a dirty thought. Well this morning I woke up and I was angry.  I was angered more when I read a text basically defending the person, then turning it around onto me as if this was caused by an anger issue I have.  The most ironic thing about it all is that his excuse for being a jackass is the thing the person sending me the text got mad at me for. Needless to say, the world sees it as my fault, because I like to occasionally be respected.

So as I laid in bed stewing, I received a text from an old friend.  It mentioned a movie he was sure I'd like and told me to see it immediately. He then asked how I was, told me to keep my head up and then paid me one of the highest compliments anyone can give another person.   He ended it with "Keep writing - how about that 'everyone has a price' screenplay?" Now it might seem trivial to most, but this question was made regarding a conversation over more than a few beers many years ago.  The fact that this seemingly insignificant conversation stayed in his mind shows that sometimes when people talk, their audience not only listens, but hears.

I can't say I will ever write that screenplay, or any for that matter, but it made an impact reading those words this afternoon.  It made a difference, because it came from someone who shares many of the same passions I do.  From someone who has their bumps in the road, as I have, and can relate.  Neither of us has achieved what we're capable of achieving and I think it bothers us more than anyone could ever know.  Life isn't about money, but it's funny how the two of us can sit and talk of great works of literature, film and art.  We can discuss our passion for the finest foods and our desire to cook. We can talk all we want about all these wonderful things, but we can't to find ways to obtain them.  Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.  Maybe that's what makes them so important to us and makes them a passion.  The carrot held in front of us, but just out of reach.  I want to reach the carrot before I die, but have enough time to enjoy it.  Life has taken me on a strange course.  I hope to one day meet my friend at a better place for both of us and when we meet, I'll steal one of his lines and say to him, "Well, we sure did take the circuitous route."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

White Privilege

This was a post I wrote on Facebook after surprisingly not seeing any moaning about the Documentary by Jose Antonio Vargas, titled White People Dayyum! I just scrolled my timeline and not a single white person got their feelings hurt by White People. I unfortunately haven't seen it, but the number of fake accounts that popped up on twitter, tells me it was a damn good show. Here's the thing. If someone of color aka non-white says "White Privilege," are you offended? If you said yes, then you are exhibiting white privilege. It has nothing to do with how hard you work or study, how you stayed out of trouble, because here's the thing, that is entirely the point. Somewhere out there, there are 100 Black, Spanish, Native American, Arab, Asian, who worked and studied as hard as you and never got in trouble, but they don't have what you "earned" or achieved. Stop looking at the one person you know who isn't white that achieved as your benchmark. Loo...

Quickie Review - Finding Vivian Maier

While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially the first 15-20 minutes, I was a little bothered by the way the film played out. The interviews with the clearly disturbed brother, sister and the mother, who obviously, was in for a cut, didn't need to be in the film. Then the woman who suggested abuse, yet seemed to have her life defined by Maier, as she tried to muster every ounce of emotion and fake guilt. Her friend, more than happy to be party of the charade. People who talk about abuse for the first time, usually don't do so on camera. The fact these scenes were so prominent, shows that they felt wronged that they were not rewarded. Maloof on the other hand, seems to disappear from the documentary during this part, almost hiding away from the fact, he went from complete praise, to even making money off of her, to destroying her personal legacy. He almost mentions the family of boys taking care of her rent, as an afterthought. Her burial spot, never shown, yet a video of her...

If You Listen To One Speech - Lana Wachowski

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/lana-wachowski-opens-up-about-difficult-past-and-attempted-suicide-20121024 Today I saw a link to a video for a speech by Lana Wachowski.  The last name rung a bell, but I could't put my finger on it. Lana, used to be Larry, one of the writer, director, producers of the Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta and the upcoming Cloud Atlas.  Lana is transgendered and has "come out" as a woman.  She was being honored by the Human Rights Campaign. I didn't know what to expect when this broad woman with crazy hair and a raspy voice began to speak.  She began with the usual pleasantries and told of her hair dresser. She then tells of her desire to be a quiet person and how hard the success of the Matrix movies made this.  The first ten minutes is telling of how she's not quite ready to be this spokesperson.  Then she speaks about the new movie Cloud Atlas and reveals the heart of the movie and this speech. She states,"The resp...