So I'm currently reading this book by Elaine Kagan titled,
'The Girls' and though it's reviews are mediocre at best, I’m enjoying the
different perspectives of different individuals.
The story revolves around six girls who were friends and grew
together and are now in their fifties, living different lives in different places. They are brought together by a tragedy, one of them shot her husband and the
story is narrated by all six women. And each has a story to tell! About the man
who died, about their collective past and about the present and about each other.
The characters sound repetitive at times yet the way they
see things is brought out quite interestingly. It’s fascinating the human mind,
our interpretations and the many impressions we form. I have yet to meet two
people who think exactly alike in all situations and this intrigues me to no
end! I have a brother (Manny) and God knows we’re different! I have two
children and the same God who made Manny and me is surely laughing, sigh!
History repeats and how…
So if two people who share the same genes and DNA and
parents and faith, culture, upbringing can be, think and act
differently, tell me why we expect others who aren’t connected to us by any of
the above social, economic, biological factors need to conform to our thinking?
The biggest common factor in failure of relationships is incompatibility
or irreconcilable differences. If we love our siblings despite their
incomprehensible and sometimes flaky personas, why not offer the same ingenuity
as we view other people in our lives. Err… Manny, when I said ‘flaky’ I was describing
yours truly :D.
You know, those great expectations that we have (not Lady Havisham
variety), maybe it’s time to do a recce and audit whether they still make
sense. Did you expect that your partner, friend, child or colleague would
conform to a set standard of the image you had of them in your convoluted mind?
Did they? God Bless you if they did.
But for those who were not blessed with this, could we look
at them like we do our own siblings and say, hey we’re chalk n cheese ourselves,
how do I expect you to play jam to my toast. It’s all in the perception. You have
yours and I have mine and ne’er the twain shall meet and you know what, it’s
just fine. It’s not supposed to.
What is, is this… the faith that each one of us is unique
and its perfectly alright. We make the world beautiful, each of us, by our myriad madness…
You’d for sure be bored without mine ;) (Of course I'm vain!)
