Free Lunches

In This World

I spent my freshman year of college at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.  As an English major, I was required to take a course titled "Introduction to Literature."  We read a little bit of everything, & even dabbled in some film criticism.  My professor, a film connoisseur, showed us clips of several movies, some of them 'R' rated.

Harding is a private Christian university.  Students are expected to attend chapel daily & enroll in a Bible class each semester.  It was not completely shocking that a young lady in my Introduction to Literature class raised an objection to the viewing of R rated films.  After politely signaling that she wanted to speak, she informed our professor, & the entire class, that she never watched any film rated R.  What followed was an interesting exchange between this usually soft-spoken young lady & our professor, the latter arguing that the young lady was needlessly keeping herself from an array of wonderful movies.  He cited several films that attempt to realistically depict war in all its brutality.  It's history, after all, he stated.  I was thinking more along the lines of how tragic it was that she'd never seen When Harry Met Sally, but I kept my mouth shut.

Introductions

What seems new is only new to us.

-Pearl S. Buck 

As Reagan's mother, one of my prerogatives is to introduce her to new things, inserting explanatory notes where necessary, & sneaking in a lesson when applicable.  Even before she was born, she was regularly exposed to the soundtracks from various musicals . . . Aida, Wicked, Mamma Mia, The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera.

When Reagan was about a week old, I was home alone with her one night & The Sound of Music came on television.  She slept through most of it, & I just sat in Trey's recliner & held her while I watched & sang along when the mood struck.

Reflections