Are you kidding me??? Sandra Bullock for best actress? I had her picked for Number 5 in that list. I was pulling for Meryl Streep, but no one asked my opinion. Oh well. I haven’t seen Blindside yet, but perhaps I will. After all, parts of it were filmed-complete with Westminster students as extras- at my high school alma mater.
Several years ago, after spending an hour pouring over my alumni magazine from Westminster reading all the things my fellow classmates were doing or accomplishing- everything from Harvard Law School to Brian Bumgartner and Ed Helms now appearing on the “Office,” or Kate Guyton who just performed Cyrano De Bergerac with Jennifer Gardner and Kevin Kline- I descended into another mopey depression about all the things I have not accomplished in life. And then I’d start on my tirade about “It is no wonder I never made any plays in high school!!!” (never mind the overdramatic unsophisticated auditions I was prone to). Jason took the magazine, tossed it into the trash can, and said, “Caroline, no more of this privileged achievement porn. You’re done. No more of these alumni magazines.” And, he’s right. I love my wonderful husband. It isn’t about what you do in life, right? It is about who we are. But, I can still be a little, tiny bit jealous, yes? And why does it take us until middle adulthood to finally admit what a profound impact upon us our high school years really are?
Well, congratulations Westminster. Your movie won an Oscar. All those pretty green football fields (and even the helmets with the “W”!) are in the bright lights and on the big screen. I guess now I have enough distance in time and geography to be proud, to raise my Portland microbrew to you and brag, “Go, go, go, go you mighty Wildcats!.”
Oh boy I know the privileged achievement porn feeling! I always feel ill and dirty after reading my alumni magazine. Conveniently forgot to tell them about my change of address!
ReplyDeleteI feel that way even reading about people I DON'T know! Caroline, we are soul sistahs for sure. (Except I do so love Sandra Bullock - mostly for so graciously accepting her Razzie award the night before accepting her Oscar.)
ReplyDelete"privileged achievement porn"... classic. FWIW, those years aren't called formative without reason -- you think and dream about being an adult, and suddenly you are.
ReplyDeleteI believe it takes to middle-adulthood because it's then that our dreams of invincibility, promise, and eternity collide with the reality of death and failure. Even the best of our race is nothing more than Ozymandias. All is vanity.
On the other hand, contentment can easily be confused with indolence - for me it's a way to rationalize mediocrity and sloth. This too is not a fruit of the spirit.
God, family, friends, creation: our enjoyment of these things are not hindered by achievement. It seems trite unless you are lacking.