Elizabethtown

On a recent, rainy day, I took the opportunity to watch "Elizabethtown," a film ostensibly set in the town of the same name in Kentucky.  Even though there were some errors of fact in the film (there is no 747 passenger service into the Louisville airport), it captured some typical Kentucky personalities really well!

It made me a little bit homesick.

A highlight of the film was the appearance of Paula Deen.  Before the film, I didn't know that she was even in the cast.  But she truly captured the essence of a Kentucky household matriarch.

The main character stayed in a Louisville hotel.  It took me back to the high school years when there were conventions and such that almost always took place in the Galt House hotel in downtown Louisville.  Beta Club was one of my favorites.  Traveling on a big, yellow bus from Scottsville to Elizabethtown was some 14o miles but took at least 3-4 hours.  Maybe this was before the speed limit went to 65 on I-65...

Yeah, I have always been a little sentimental.  As the years pass, I seem to be getting more nostalgic and sentimental.  Maybe it has something to do with advancing age; or the mental processing of the loss of all my grandparents; or maybe I have always been overly sensitive but managed to keep it better hidden.  As I reflect, I seem to recall a conscious effort to suppress my feelings going back many years.  The walls I had built were of the highest-quality construction.  But recently I have worked to open up to loved ones--to tear down such strong walls.  It has been a growing and learning experience for me, and rarely pleasant.  Frequently, my metaphorical hand has been slapped.  Logically, it seems that I should probably reinforce those walls rather than take them apart, to avoid the unpleasantness.  But this is not an issue of what is logical.

It has been said that if we want to know what we dislike most about ourselves, look at the traits we find most annoying in others.  Suppose the converse is also true.  In that case, the things I like most about myself are compassion, kindness, humor, and intelligence.  I like to think those qualities were developed in a small, Kentucky town.  I know I learned them from people I love and I am thankful for loved ones today who reinforce those traits--even in a big place like New York City!  But I still get a little homesick from time to time.