Late last year I bought several new DVDs for my collection. One of them is “You’ve Got Mail.” One of the special items on the disk is the director and screen writer (Nora Ephron) talking about the making of the movie as the movie unfolds on the screen. It was fascinating to hear them talk about putting their ideas on film.
\nAt one point, Ephron talks about what we are looking for in the person we hope will be the love of our life. She says we tend to describe ourselves when we describe that person: Democrat, loves classical music and cats, goes for long walks, spends weekends watching TV, gardens, whatever.
\nI think, were I pressed, I would have said “Tall, dark, and well-educated.” My father was 6’4″ and had black hair, and was well-educated. I think that I expected to marry someone similar to my Dad or my brother.
\nEphron says that younger people are likely to say “I could never marry someone who……Was a Democrat, who fished for a living, who was a couch potato, who didn’t want kids…..whatever. The point is, you have very little control over who you come to love.
\nIs your Prince Charming the ideal you imagined? Dear Husband comes close, but he isn’t a carbon copy of my Dad or brother. What you can’t know is how wonderful the surprises can be when you choose someone different from your expectations. We’d live a VERY dull life if we were both like me. DH brings a weird sense of humor to the mix. He’s open to more experiences than I am, and he’s willing to completely change directions from his original plans. We took off for Lake Geneva one weekend, and it wasn’t until after dinner that we discovered there was not a room to be had in a 50 mile radius. That was the weekend the Special Olympics were being held in Madison. He found us a place to lay our heads. We could have driven home. Instead, we found the last room at a little motel, and were able to take a sail on Lake Geneva early the following morning, with just the captain sharing the boat. It was wonderful, and totally beyond anything I might have chosen.
\nWe’ve had a lot of fun days like that. I hope there will be more in the future. I don’t remember my mother ever giving me advice on what to look for in a husband. Did yours? I suppose that’s a subject for another day.
\nIf I had daughters, would I be able to say to them, “Don’t be afraid to fall in love with someone who is different.” Would I regret those words? Maybe. Maybe not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Late last year I bought several new DVDs for my collection. One of them is “You’ve Got Mail.” One of the special items on the disk is the director and screen writer (Nora Ephron) talking about the making of the … Continue reading