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Posts Tagged ‘Harold and Maude’

Our Song (Sort Of)

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , on February 14, 2020| 2 Comments »

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

Despite the fact that this day is traditionally reserved for romantic love, I think it’s a day where anyone can acknowledge love for anyone else ~ family members, dear friends, dogs and cats. Love is love, and today is the day for love.

I love my family and friends. It’s too bad I don’t have any cats or dogs because I have so much love to give and they’d probably appreciate the slobber I could give to them. (Or vice versa?) This post, however, is dedicated to my very own Husby.

We started dating in August. We were engaged to be married the following April. We married in October of that same year. It was a fifteen-month courtship that resulted in a happy, giddy, and very compatible relationship of over twenty-three years.

I remember a very special night at my apartment when Husby (then known as Cutie) first declared his love for me, and my heart soared to the moon and back.

You know how couples have “our song?” Well, the one played at the exact moment we discovered we were in love (because I played it on purpose) is what I believe to be “our song.” He doesn’t know the song unless he hears it, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t think it to be “our song.” But it’s my song of us, so that’s what counts here.

Listen, with lyrics below.

 

 

I used to trust nobody, trusting even less their words
Until I found somebody, there was no one I preferred
My heart was made of stone, my eyes saw only misty gray
Until you came into my life girl, I saw everyone that way
Until I found the one I needed at my side
I think I would have been a sad man all my life
I think I see the light coming to me
Coming through me, giving me a second sight
So shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine
Shine, shine, shine
I used to walk alone, every step seemed the same
This world was not my home, so there was nothing much to gain
Look up and see the clouds, look down and see the cold floor
Until you came into my life girl, I saw nothing, nothing more
Until I found the one I needed at my side
I think I would have been a sad man all my life
I think I see the light coming to me
Coming through me, giving me a second sight
So shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine
Shine, shine, shine
I think I see the light coming to me
Coming through me, giving me a second sight
So shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine
Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine
Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine

So with that I encourage everyone to express your love to everyone today (dogs and cats included).  Shine on!  And when you show your love I quote my favorite movie line ever…

“That’s wonderful!  Go and love some more.” ~ Maude (aka Dame Marjorie Chardin)

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Casting Off The Curse

Posted in Everyday, tagged , on November 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

“Don’t get so officious, you’re not yourself when you’re officious.
That’s the curse of a government job.”
~ Maude

Dame Marjorie Chardem, better known as Maude, is a person who guides me through life with her enthusiasm and wisdom.  She lives in the movie Harold and Maude, my favorite movie of all time.

Maude has a penchant for stealing cars but doesn’t have a driver’s license because she doesn’t “believe in them.”  That’s what she told the police officer who pulled her over for speeding.  With some prodding the police officer found out that not only had she been speeding but had also stolen the truck she was driving, as well as the little tree and shovel in the back of the truck.  The discourse between Maude and the police officer prompted her to comment on officiousness.

“That’s the curse of a government job.”

I have a government job and I know all about officiousness.  I’m professional with my coworkers, supervisors, and the clients I meet nearly every day.  The thing is, I work in an area away from most of the people I work with, so they don’t see me rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of government protocol.  They don’t hear me swearing under my breath about mistakes I make in the midst of the overwhelmedness of my workload.  They don’t know I’m burnt out and resentful of our clients.  I’m a professional.  I’m officious.  At least in the eyes of those with whom I work.

But as Maude says, “you’re not yourself when you’re officious.”  How true that is.  If that’s the case, I can only assume “myself” is hidden for ten hours a day, five days a week.  That can’t be a good thing, and it sucks a lot of energy out of me.  But if I were “myself,” I would have been fired from my job a long time ago.

I’ve been trying to balance officiousness with my true self for over three decades.  Psychologically speaking, that’s a heavy load to carry and can’t be too helpful in the quest for self-actualization – too much cognitive dissonance.  It makes me wonder how much I’ll flourish after I retire from the day job and only have to be myself.  My guess is…lots.

Maude ended up distracting the officious police officer and stealing his motorcycle to get on with her business of replanting the little city tree in the forest.  When Harold and Maude reached the forest and planted the tree Maude said, “The earth is my body and my head is in the stars…who said that?”  Harold replies, “I don’t know.”  Maude smiles and says, “Well, I guess I did.”

I’m so looking forward to trashing my officiousness.  I want to be like Maude.  I want to be myself.

 

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I Suppose You Think That’s Funny, Harold

Posted in Everyday, tagged , , on November 8, 2012| 1 Comment »

I read a blog post the other day.   The author is a young woman who wrote about how she wants to be in a remake of Harold and Maude, except with the genders switched (young woman, old man).  She, of course, would play the young woman, and she thinks the old man should be played by…Woody Allen.

Just the idea of this is wrong and bad, and bordering on blasphemy.  Don’t even think about messing with perfection.

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Ah, It’s Easy…

Posted in Everyday, tagged , , , , on July 31, 2012| 1 Comment »

Lately I’ve had to do a lot of grown-up things and it’s just wearing me down.  Big grown up things like making decisions and providing for myself.  Oh, some of you may laugh, but I know there’s a bunch of you out there who know exactly what I’m talking about.

Allie knows what I’m talking about and has depicted her version of conquering enduring adulthood here.  I love the productivity chart and can completely relate to it.

When I get worn down by the daily grind of adulthood I lose sight of the joy that is everywhere around me.  No one should be devoid of joy.  It’s against the nature of life.  And when it’s time for me to find some bliss again I look to my heroine, Dame Marjorie Chardem, better known as Maude.

Time for a little Harold and Maude, I believe. Life affirming, uplifting, spiritual and funny. Maude, in her mature adulthood, held onto that child-like wonder and never stopped seeing the world as a place of pure delight.

You can do what you want, the opportunity’s on

And if you find a new way, you can do it today

You can make it all true, and you can make it undo you see…

Ah, it’s easy

Ah, you only need to know…

Cat Stevens

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