Monthly Archives: January 2013

January 5, 2013 · 2:28 pm

Unavoidable

A Facebook friend posed the following questions:

Wondering how many people who are seeing the Les Mis movie never saw the show on stage? (How many people over the age of 30 never saw the show on stage?)

I have seen neither. Some in my family and many of my friends have seen both. As a family we saw a couple of movies over Christmas but not this one.

That may change.

Some time back, I viewed the movie version with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. Since returning to New York, the buzz for the current film has led me to check out other versions starting with the 1935 movie starring Frederic March and Charles Laughton. Can a trip to the theater be far behind?

Victor Hugo’s story remains compelling. It is also contemporary – the themes of the tale remain with us to this day. And it is theological covering grace and forgiveness and redemption and understandings of justice.

Today’s viewing of a 1978 made-for-TV movie with Robert Jordan and Anthony Perkins reminded me of that. It also contained a piece of dialogue I had not heard before and that will stay with me for a while.

The movie concludes with a scene at the wedding of Cosette and Marius. Gillenormand, Marius’ estranged grandfather appears at the end of the service and greets the radiant couple in a tender moment .

The couple leaves the church and Gillenormand and Valjean speak:

Gillenormand: “I’ve been a fool.”
Valjean: “Oh sir. We’re all fools for most of our lives. It’s unavoidable.”

I do not judge anyone else. But Valjean’s words work for me. They truly work for me.

Now I find myself thinking that, not only is it unavoidable that I am a fool much of the time, perhaps a trip to see the film and the stage production and maybe even time to read the book (the full version not the comic book version I remember as a child nor the abridged version from college) have also become unavoidable.

Perhaps I will see you at the barricades.

Certainly I will … see you along the Trail.

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January 3, 2013 · 12:37 am

Seriously? The House failed to do what?

The U.S. House of Representatives – primarily the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives – failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The Senate approved reauthorization in a bipartisan vote. The House – the Republicans in the House – let the law expire. Apparently the new version is too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community, and Native Americans.

For the first time since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act is no more. And state and local governments will receive far fewer resources to address sexual and domestic violence.

It can sometimes be said that laws are not renewed because they are no longer needed. That does not work here.

An effort to revive the Violence Against Women Act can begin in the new Congress. Anyone who loves, or who has ever loved, a woman needs to be part of that effort.

See you along the Trail.

 

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January 1, 2013 · 11:40 pm

A new start

By the Gregorian/Western calendar a new year began today. Other calendars, such as lunar calendars or the Christian year, have other starting dates.

Still today provides an opportunity to review and resolve and start anew. Always one to go along with the crowd, I took this moment to refocus my efforts at self-care.

First, a look back. In some ways December 2012 proved a bust. I regularly ate too much – way too much on many occasions. Because of travel and some minor foot issues (already being addressed), I failed to make my step goal most days. I failed to walk 30 minutes at a time most days.

But I did work through it all and made it to my three-month goal of 1,000,000 steps! Between October 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, I logged 1,000,370 steps.

That feels good. Very, very good.

Rather than dwell on the failures, I plan to build on the success of 1,000,000 in 2013.

The big three goals will remain: eat well, walk 10,000 steps, walk 30 minutes at a stretch. For at least the first 100 days, in support of a friend who is training for a half-marathon, I will eat no desserts or sweets. At least I will try not to do that. Assuming things go well, I have some other goals in mind to add.

I plan to post more regularly – on my other blog – mostly as a motivational tool. If you want to check it out and give me a hard time, that would be fine.

See you along the Trail.

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