Our minds are amazing. Have you ever noticed how many times a random thought comes into your mind that is a memory of your past and then there is a story?
I was at work the other day and this cute lady was at the register paying cash for her purchase. The change due for the purchase was 40 cents. She had a handful of change and right away, I noticed on top of the pile- a quarter, a dime, and a nickel. I said, “Oh, there’s the 40 cents!” She stopped moving and said, “Really?” I told her I saw the change needed on the top of her hand full of change. Then I told her about how in junior high school lunch was 40 cents, and how I got used to using a quarter, a dime and a nickel to buy lunch. She smiled as we reminisced about how much things used to cost and how much they are now. On many occasions, my Mama would give me 50 cents for lunch and I would get to buy a candy treat in the candy machines, with the left over dime from lunch. Yes, a candy bar was a dime. I was always excited when I could get a treat after lunch.
That reminds me of a story my Mom has told me. She said that she and her sister would get to walk down to the movie theater in Salt Lake City and watch the Saturday matinee. The movie was 25 cents and popcorn was a nickel. They were able to go to the movie most Saturdays. It was such a fun part of her growing up, and didn’t cost too much.
Another random memory that recently came to my mind is when I used to ride with my Daddy over to the college were he worked and I went to cosmetology school and he would drop me off at the door of the building were my school was. I would arrive earlier than most because of coming with my Dad. It was fall and chilly, and still a little dark outside. I would be cold from the drive and walking in the building, so I used to stand near the door to the building where a nice warm radiator was and enjoy the warmth it would provide. Once I had warmed up sufficiently I would go into the class room and start preparing for the day.
This cute and fun romantic comedy came out in 1998. Little did I know at that time it would be such a big part of my life. In 1998 my children were 12, 9, 7, and 4. My days were spent doing laundry, cleaning, running kids and errands all over the city we lived in. It was a typical routine that most moms know. We had only been in our home for a year or so and were feeling the stretch of a house that was a little too much for us. We moved there, because we had a plan to put a massage and hair shop in the basement apartment that was part of the house. This shop would bring in income and help with the house bills and help us raise our family. It didn’t quite work the way we thought. Not wanting strangers coming into our home, we chose not to advertise our shop. Our clientale was word of mouth, not enough customers came. The neighbors were wonderful and very supportive. Often children would stop on their way home from school to get their hair cut. My sweetie still needed to work full time which allowed for health and dental insurance. As it became clear the shop would not provide enough income, I started working at the local grocery store, the first of many jobs through the years.
All my life I have wanted to be a stay at home mom, a homemaker. Making a home is very important to me. So now I was not only a mom, and a homemaker, I was bringing in income. It became very important to supplement my husbands income. I worked about 3-4 days a week. After a time, I started other small jobs, I even tended for a friend for many years. I did PTA, worked part-time, worked full-time, I tended full-time, and I had very responsible church callings. I even studied real estate and insurance at different times, all in an effort to make enough money to pay the bills and live. I enjoyed all of this busyness as much as I could, but then started to struggle with the responsibilities and depending on the day and what I had to do after work, I would come home at 5:00 take off my bra, put on my pj’s and get into bed. I would start the movie “You’ve Got Mail” and would always feel more light and sometimes even happy. Sometimes the kids would hop on my bed with me and we would all watch. I’ve always loved being their mom! I am usually a motivated person, I push myself, but for years I was so over-whelmed that I was just moving a long, doing what I could. Sometime in the middle of all this Alex said to me “Slow and Steady wins the race!” from the Tortoise and The Hare story. I wrote a post about that. Those kind of phases are helpful, too.
I watched You’ve Got Mail so many times, I don’t know, but I still love it so much. The things I love about this movie are; It takes place in New York City, her apartment is adorable, Meg Ryan is the main character and she is just a easy going bookstore owner who just turned 30 years old, I love books, when the story starts it’s Fall (my favorite season), there are some cute and funny one liners, one of the biggest reasons why I love the movie is how she handles the challenges she faces. She does get discouraged, but doesn’t stay discouraged. The most important part is the happy ending. My Darlin always says I need to only watch “Sweetness and Light.” It’s true no dark and scary stuff for me! Sometimes it’s just fun to escape your own life and live through someone else even if it’s just for a few hours. It was important during years when I needed to cope with a busy, busy life. Now my kids are adults. They are amazing! I am very happy I made it through those years!!
On a trip to New York City, we did a little tour of the places that are in the movie. What a blast! We saw the store that was “The Shop Around the Corner.” We’ve been to Cafe Lalo where Kathleen waits for her email pen pal, we have seen H & H Bagels-we didn’t go in, Starbucks, Zabar’s, Riverside Park & Gray’s Papaya (super yummy hotdogs). It is so fun to visit places you’ve seen in a movie.
I still love You’ve Got Mail even though I don’t watch the movie much these days. It actually doesn’t help me feel better like it used to, but I keep finding things that do.
I am so thankful there are distractions, diversions, and other ways of coping when life is over-whelming! I’m super thankful for favorite movies like “You’ve Got Mail!”
