My poor neglected blog, hasn't seen me since spring. I blame it all on Facebook ;)
Anyway, seeing as the summer of 2009 is about to wrap up (*sob*), I thought it was a good time to look back on its cultural highlights:
The Reader - MOVIE
A Girl of the Limberlost - NOVEL (a favorite of my grandmother's, I recently learned!)
Herkimer 4th of July Fireworks at Wal-Mart - UPSTATE NY CULTURE :)
Philadelphia Orchestra - CLASSICAL MUSIC @ SPAC
Paul Taylor - MODERN DANCE @ SPAC
La Traviata - OPERA @ Glimmerglass
In several of these I was struck by some unexpected instances of kindness. Perhaps "unexpected" because so much of today's entertainment is brutal on a regular basis. How sad.
- In "The Reader," I was moved by the young boy's thoughtfulness toward his older lover (Kate Winslet), when the waitress on their "cycling holiday" thought she was his mother. He proved differently by kissing her passionately in public as they left, yay for him!
- At the Paul Taylor Dance show, one number featured a little "boy" sleeping and dreaming guided by a father-type figure. When the boy slipped on his pajamas and fell, the father tenderly picked him up and looked at him with such love to make sure he was not hurt. The boy limped in pain but the father-figure was there to comfort and help him.
- And lastly, at the fireworks, a REAL LIFE act of kindness. As night fell over the Wal-Mart parking lot I spied and was touched to see an ARC staff member hold the hand of a disabled older adult waiting for the show to begin. The staffer seemed completely content to keep his client/friend happy and didn't act like it was a "job" or a "duty."
How satisfying to have kindness so intertwined with my delightful summer experiences.
