Linda and I saw the Old Town Theater's production of On Golden Pond. It was a matinee and a full house. Without question we--at 52--were among the ten youngest people in the place. It has been years since we attended a performance of any kind for which the audience was so respectful. Though it was amazing to see all the smart phones come out at intermission. And near the end, when the two leads spoke more quietly, an elderly woman behind us said, in her best cranky, hard-of-hearing shout, "I CAN'T HEAR A DAMN THING."
Back to the smart phones. I get how helpful they can be in some circumstances. But the posts I see on Facebook belie just how profound many people's usage is. ("Two tamales and a cosmo for Girls Night Out." "Just saw a dog!" "OMG!! Go to barbiemakeuplesson.com!!!")
As I often say, I am not looking for ways to be MORE connected.
On Golden Pond tells how a couple live out their love for each other over the long haul. The story takes place during one summer at their lake house. Author Ernest Thompson created two wonderful characters: the cranky patriarch with a good heart, and the long-suffering yet strong matriarch. It is their love, earned through years of compromise, that is the real star of the show. The aged audience with which we saw the play understood this very well indeed.
Linda's family has had a lake house since before we started dating in 1976. When I came on the scene they had no telephone, no water into the cottage and a privy. Now they have wireless Internet, land-line phone service and when you Google Earth their waterfront you see somebody sitting on the dock apparently talking into a cell phone. It is hard to explain the romance that has been lost. But I feel it all the same.
It turns out that being connected has nothing to do with technology. It has everything to do with spending time together, getting to know each other warts and all, and working to love. Whether you are at the play, the lake house or in the car, put down the smart phone and back away slowly. Try looking somebody in the eye. I'll try, too.
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