Apparently, today is the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Giving Tree, a book about which many people (including myself) have strong feelings.
I will admit that my take on this much-beloved/much-loathed parable is maybe a little skewed by the fact that I first encountered it as a young adult, rather than as a child.
So... what's yours? Love it? Hate it? Ambivalent? Can't believe anyone gives it this much thought? Also: why?
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Half-plus-seven
I recently read an internet comment (I know, never read the comments...) in which someone suggested that a relationship between a forty-something and a twenty-something is, if not doomed, then probably shallow, because what would they find to talk about? It is not the first time I have heard this suggestion.
I am 43.
RI is 28.
Also, the last two people I dated were 18 years older and 13 years younger than I. I have a little expertise here.
In case there are those who literally wonder what people with a more-than-ten-year age gap find to talk about, and who are not merely pearl-clutching as an accessory to judgement, I offer a partial list from my current relationship (list may skew to the recently-discussed):
I am 43.
RI is 28.
Also, the last two people I dated were 18 years older and 13 years younger than I. I have a little expertise here.
In case there are those who literally wonder what people with a more-than-ten-year age gap find to talk about, and who are not merely pearl-clutching as an accessory to judgement, I offer a partial list from my current relationship (list may skew to the recently-discussed):
- Our days
- Our jobs
- Our volunteer work
- Bowling
- Laundry
- Sleep
- Politics, local
- Politics, national
- Politics, identity
- Religion
- The Office
- Other TV shows
- The Ramones
- Other music
- Movies
- Playing games (card or board, not mental or emotional)
- Our respective childhoods
- How we feel about each other
- How we feel about ourselves
- How we feel about other things
- Our friends
- Our families
- Our schedules
- Social inequalities
- The future
- What we're having for dinner
- What to do with so much kale
- Money
- Sex
- Our deepest values, and how attached we really are to them
- Our health
- If this outfit looks OK
- Yard saling
- Prison
- Stuff we read on the internet
- Stuff we read in books
- Jokes, heard or read somewhere
- Jokes, inside
- Jokes, nonsensical
So, yeah, kind of a lot of what we talk about is pretty surface level. And also, some of it is not — and I am not sure it is always possible to tell which, nor am I sure it always matters.
I can't speak for RI, but I'm pretty happy with the balance.
What do other people find to talk about?
I can't speak for RI, but I'm pretty happy with the balance.
What do other people find to talk about?
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