Last night I attended the screening of "Trophy Wives" a multi-media project of my multi-talented childhood friend Christina Cooley. We were able to see the trailer and a clip of part of the animated tv pilot she has created. To say that Christina is anything short of brillantly creative and inventive is to not say enough. I've always thought that there must have been something in the Evanston water when my generation of Evanstonians were growing up. There seems to be an endless number of people accomplishing interesting and amazing things.
I remember realizing this for the first time at a party over a college winter break one year back home. At this party there was someone who'd just returned from the runway shows in Milan, someone who was off to race solar powered cars in Japan. Now I, at the time, was working at a head shop in Boulder, CO. Not as much talent required, but I impressed nonetheless. All this to say that I'm frequently made proud of the kids I grew up with.
But the real reason I came here this morning was to share a piece of advice I received from one of the "elder" Evanstonians in attendance last night. It turned out that we had lived on either ends of the same street while I was growing up, but had never met nor even heard each other's name mentioned (it was a long, many block street). When it came up that my parents had both passed on she immediately exclaimed, "You need a husband!"
I nodded, I know, I know.
She rested her hand on my arm and in a serious tone advised, "Stop looking immediately. Open your heart and when a man comes into your life that causes your heart to flutter....grab him!"
She then grabbed me into a tight squeeze and kissed my cheek and sort of pushed me on my way.
I find that spontaneous advice like hers seems to make an impression on me.
{{heart beginning to open}}
