I just got back from seeing 'Over the River and Through the Woods' at Globe Theatre ... it was absolutely fantastic. There is one last performance this evening which is sold out.
The drama is about a late 20-something guy and his grandparents on both sides. He gets a job offer that would mean moving away from them, and they do almost everything possible to get him to stay.
While I laughed an awful lot, it also caused me to reflect on my own life ... like any good piece of art should. At one point the grandparents invite a single girl they know over for a dinner at which their grandson will be at. The two actually like each other, but she turns him down because of how he acts and reacts towards his grandparents [with frustration and obligation]. I wonder if I sometimes act that way as well. Simply tolerating my family, or do I really enjoy spending time with them and getting to know them as individuals?
In the end, the guy does move away and take the promotion -- and in short succession all but one of the grandparents die. While both he and they came to understand each other before he left, I can't say how long I have left with my family. I do not know when I will never be able to listen to their stories or share in their lives again.
At yet another point he questions is the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect life--if these things are really what we are searching for or what we should be searching for. When are we content with the life we lead now?
I want what he has -- roots, a sense of belonging, loyalty. While I feel so desperately alone in the city, I wonder if I have disregarded the community I have already formed around me.