What? my sensible self says, You've created yet another place to think into your fingers without any real plan or purpose? And you have an insider to recruit an audience? Yes, and I'm starting with the postmodern taboo of truth. You really gonna start with that topic? Hell no, I'm just using it to get in, and affirm that whatever ends up here is just a window into my truth--more likely many small truths.
Surreal moment of my week thus far: Last night my family and I went out to see the Christmas lights. Family here equals my girls, Mariel and Sarah (19 and 21), Mariel's boyfriend, James, and my husband, DG. Not a big deal, really we just went to see James's parents' house. Seems they're prizewinners in their little 'burb. James was telling us about improvements until we just had to see it even though it was after ten and pushing hard on my bedtime. It was impressive; the new addition is a series of arches over the driveway built of PVC and wrapped with lights. We smiled and sighed and headed home. The surreal moment coming up. After listening to my girls repeatedly trade the same four measures of "Carol of the Bells" that they play on one of the jewelry ads, I got us singing "Angels We have Heard on High," the only carol we can reliably sing in harmony. We're making a kind of music as we pass the street where we generally turn. It's blocked with a police car, and a flatbed trailer with two cars on it; several other cars and another police car are just behind it. We all turn and look with well-stretched necks in a slo-mo unison motion as we sing "Gl-o-o--o-o--o-o-o--o-ria..." The officer stands close to two young people. They look dazed and strangely amused in the second I manage to focus on faces. I wonder if it was more than one second.
We finished the song. Sarah gave her sister a rough time and then singing tips when she heard Mariel singing "Gl-o-o--o-o--o-o-o-glo-ria." All day today I've thought about blue lights flashing, our commonplace voyeuristic gazes and the familiar glory to God in the highest sounding strangely alien in my ears.
4 comments:
I knew you'd have interesting stuff on your mind. This is an OP moment for sure. I can see it exactly as you describe and I see why it stuck in your head.
I hope you'll keep writing here because it's good--just like I expected.
You guys should get a police scanner and make your ride a tradition.
What a great moment to freeze in time, and it happened so quickly. Blue lights and crooning to the Big Guy, you captured it well.
Hmm, certain parts of town feature those bluse "holiday" lights all year long. Definitely an odd combination. I can see why it impacted you as surreal.
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