Supporting Actress

 I just got done reading "Helen Keller" (and watching all three different movie variations).  The relationship between Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan really resonated with me, even leading me to sentimental tears on a few occasions.  I've watched Helen Keller a few times in the past, and have always been in awe of Helen.  This time through, I became in awe of Annie Sullivan.  She is, after all, the Miracle Worker.  A silent, steadfast teacher who, essentially, gave up her own life so that Helen could have one.  Helen gets all the limelight and fanfare, but it is because of Annie that Helen was able to succeed.

Some other supporting ladies I have related to is Olivia de Havilland's Melanie from Gone With the Wind, and Barbara Hershey's character (Hillary) from Beaches.   I greatly admire Scarlet O'hara's guts, sass, tenacity, and remarkable talent.  However, I relate more to Melanie: loyal, determined, moral, and full of love.  Scarlet is loud, glitzy, the star of the show.  Melanie is....forgettable.

In Beaches, CeCe (played by Bette Midler) is again, the star of the show.  Its been a looooong time since I have seen this movie, but the character of Hillary has always stuck with me.  It is because of Hillary that CeCe was able to be who she was; a successful entertainer.   CeCe is memorable and talented while Hillary is forgettable and supportive.  (In fact, I had to look up the name of Barbara Hershey's character's name while I fully remembered CeCe.)    

Annie, Melanie, and Hillary.  Three supporting actresses who have made a mark on my heart, and I think I discovered why.  I, too, am a supporting lady.  Like the above supporting ladies, I am silently supporting those around me in ways that may go unnoticed.  From my friends to family members to people at my job.  Many of the kids I work with do not remember my name.  However, I choose to believe they remember some of the things I have said or done while they have been in my care.  Many little seeds of hope and healing have been planted by this supporting actress in the 23 years working with suicidal children.

I enjoy my supporting role, and in fact, have come to embrace it.  Its in my soul.  I believe it is a part of my purpose on this Earth.  What a beautiful, fulfilling, and honorable role to have.  I'm grateful it is mine.  

Middle Aged Travelers

 April 2022 was a nice time to get away to Florida.  We left Duluth on a nice spring day, temps in the mid 50's.  We were a little sad to be leaving our nice weather, but once we arrived in 90 degree Florida, Duluth had a messy spring storm for nearly the entire time we were basking in the sun.  Not gonna lie, we were a bit elated to know folks back home were in a slushy, snowy mess while we swam in the hot sun.

Our vacation was an intentional one of relaxation so we did not have a big agenda.  It was a perfect reset full of fun, laughs, and intimate pool chats.

Here we are a couple of middle aged women doing pool Olympics complete with handstands, handwalking, judging and critiques.  We each took home a gold medal in the handstand competition.  We are both professionals after our years of practice and expertise.  It is fun to be a kid still!  In addition to our handstands, we participated in another juvenile pool activity.  Yup, we peed in the pool (Sshh, don't tell).  We kept track of how many times we relieved ourselves by holding up our fingers for each time we were too lazy to get out of the pool.  We got upwards of over 5 times each by the end of pool time.   Gross, I know.

Ice cream was a perfect way to cool off in the humid, 90 degree heat.  But eating it outside was not the perfect way in which to eat the ice cream.  We were a sloppy mess covered in rapidly melting ice cream.  We had to eat it so fast that I don't think either one of us tasted much of our delicious dessert.  We ate it on the dock so the drips could just fall into the water below.  And this is where we discovered  the relaxi-taxi!  The water taxi was a cheap way to get a boat ride in right from our hotel.  We wish we would have discovered the water taxi earlier in our trip, but this night we opted for ice cream instead of liquor.  Once you get over a certain age, you have to make choices and sacrifices.  

Also, as a middle aged woman, it seems I have classified the Red Hot Chili Peppers as "heavy metal music".  For some reason, Amy finds this hilarious.  I guess they are not heavy metal after all.  

Right from our hotel room, we have views of dolphins and manatees swimming off in the distance.  My middle aged eyes also discovered there were black pelicans on the beach next to our hotel.  I was so excited to go visit the pelicans especially once I saw another woman walk near them and they didn't move.  They must be friendly pelicans!  Imagine our disappointment to find that my eyes deceived us and they weren't pelicans after all, but rather they were tires on the beach.  I wanted to go see these mysterious pelicans not only once, but twice!  After realizing they were just tires, I was still in denial, and got excited moments later when I again thought I saw pelicans.....Amy had to remind me that my eyes were playing tricks on me!

On our final day there, we went to a butterfly conservatory which was beautiful and lovely.  This solidified my middle aged-ness when I found out that they considered a senior citizen to be aged 50!  Just two short years away, and I would have been able to get reduced senior rates!

When it came time to pack the suitcase to head home, our suitcase gained over 5 pounds, not from all of our travel souvenirs we bought, but because of all the food we stole from the continental breakfast each morning.  Oh, those Florida oranges sure were tasty back home in Duluth!

More highlights of the vacation included a mama manatee with two babies seen while kayaking, dolphins from our hotel, a dead rat at the hotel restaurant, and a mascot parrot named "Blue" (who was kind of scary)!

Though traveling is always a nice getaway, coming back home is even sweeter.  There simply is no place like home!