It doesn’t have to be that complicated. “I only go two places. The tattoo parlor to hang out with my buddies or the beach.” He says he doesn’t have a cell phone or a computer. I see him every week with his wife, doing what he can to support her as she teaches a class for my 3-year-old. He smiles and chortles and pokes with satire. He has shown me his skin art several times and it is easy to see what these represent. The people he loves and who love him.
In the film written and directed by Derrick Borte, “The Joneses,” we watch a pseudo-family move into a gorgeous home with intent to market their wares to the unsuspecting towns-folk. As they are instruments in sales, they become infected with purchasing-power-fever. As their own fantasies grow of being the perfect family unit, so does the definition of what it takes to be one. Being happy individually as well as relationally equals easy access to riches and easy life. The glitch is that they are not a family nor does the new this or that belong to any of them. Like making a deal with Ursula the purple octopus-witch, they are ensnared. It becomes a hard choice to regain the rights to their lives. In the end, they barely escape with the understanding of what they can really claim as their own – love.
The other day when our dog was dyeing, at bedtime I was able to debrief with our daughter about her feelings. “I know you love me Mommy but it felt like you loved Maggie more than me. Even though I knew you loved me more, I didn’t feel it Mommy.” For someone who can barely see around her Ego, that’s pretty amazing! From her beautiful child-self, she told us that love is there even when we don’t feel it.
My husband was telling me his “Good News,” quite different from rights of passage like a fraternity. It is that God is already right here with each of us and unrelated to our performance. We all have Love, regardless of lost opportunities, low-character, higher learning, or technology.
It’s not that complicated.
Self Care Tip #51 – Take what is yours. Be a friend to yourself.
Question: Agree or disagree? What do you think? Please tell me your story.
I loved the movie “The Joneses”. I had never heard of it before I decided to watch it, but it was great. As to your question…I say take what is yours, but don’t be afraid to share.
Nice! I like that. Natural progression.
Thank u so much for reading and commenting! Keep on!
Lovely thoughts.
thank u so much joana! for some reason, i’m always at lease a little or a lot surprised when someone likes what i write. so thanks for the perks. u make a big difference!
The posession and use of “power” seems one of the most difficult things for humans to cope with. When I was learning to be an ‘instrument of sales’, it was clear to me that this skill was a power requiring the greatest care and respect. I was supprised by it.Trust is one of the highest powers that one person confers on another. We trust love to be there.
R
ooh! great expansion of thought! love love it. thank you. power holds responsibility-> trust is power-> having someone’s trust requires responsibility-> love is power that is responsible. nice!
“With great power comes great responsibility.” (from Spider-Man) I am a bit of a comic/graphic novel nerd. 😉
I trust love to continue being present in the Universe, even when human nature lets me down. I also trust that if I can show my children how to access this beauty from inside themselves, they will trust that love is there even when they are faced with my humanity and my mistakes. It sounds like your daughter knows that love is always there…
I do agree with Nathan: if we are to take, we must also return. Or, sometimes I like to think of it as being a conduit…channeling the love that exists in the Universe and directing it back outward, choosing not to block it or cut it off from others (although there are times when my petty nature struggles with this). The Beatles were right: “And in the end/the love you take/is equal to/the love you make.”
If only we could be as good as we wish to be ALL the time, yes?
Also, The Little Mermaid is one of our favorites—you?
thanks for your comments and for reading Sarah! always a pleasure. keep ’em coming!
The cool thing about Love is that when you have Love, naturally you share it.
loved! Little Merm!
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