Sunday, September 30, 2012

Working For Love

Pancakes this morning. Today's offering is oat bran, peach, sweet potato, banana and pecan.

I know.

That's ridiculous.

And oh yeah, buttermilk is in there too.

I'm moving slow today. I had so much fun last night. I swear, it takes a damn atom bomb to get me out of the house on an evening but last night I went to Monticello and walked into the back door of the kitchen and before I knew it I was hugging beautiful ladies and snipping basil into vats of tomato and hauling trays and filling water glasses and sprinkling dried parsley with abandon onto plates. It occurred to me as I was cleaning up the tables after the diners had gone upstairs to watch the show that the happiest hours of my life in elementary school were the ones I spent working in the cafeteria and maybe I should have just become a food worker.

After the tables were all cleared and I'd told my good-byes to the women I'd shared my evening with, I went upstairs myself and I tell you what- the Stage Company's performance of The Mouse Trap was nothing short of wonderful. I truly and really enjoyed every moment of it. I went backstage during intermission and collected hugs and gave hugs. I didn't have one moment of regret that I hadn't been part of the performance. For some reason I just don't have the motivation right now to do that sort of work because it IS work. And it's stress and it's pressure and yes, it's a beautiful and creative joy as well, but it was lovely to just sit in the audience and enjoy the fruits of others' labors.

And as a bonus to the evening, Kathleen showed up with her man, the man she just traveled across the whole United States with on the back of his Harley, from Lamont, Florida to the Pacific Northwest and back and she looked amazing and happy.

So yes, it was a wonderful evening but today I am stiff and sore (I weeded for a few hours before I went to the Opera House to sling trays) so I am moving slowly but who cares? I'm going to town to go to the grocery store with Lily and the boys and I've got sheets in the washing machine and Mr. Moon is working on the deck today between the house and my office as he did yesterday.


He pronounced the pancakes "maybe my favorite ever," which he does most Sundays and it's just been a good weekend.

Since it's Sunday I will say that I just listened to a thing on NPR about Scientology and it seems like that may be the most advanced religion of all in that it directly charges you money to control your mind in ever and ever more bizarre ways. Plus, I'm not sure that god is even involved. I'll just offer my own opinion and say that I think god is involved in work and in women who work together. Women will notice your earrings and they will ask about your grandchildren and they will laugh as they do the holy work of feeding people and then cleaning up. They will set aside the salad that people didn't eat for you to take home to your chickens and they will hug you like crazy when you say hello and when you leave. They will make your soul at ease. 

And thus, my soul IS at ease today.

Now to go shop for food and kiss babies. I wanted to put up a video of Springsteen doing I'll Work For Your Love but I can't find one I like very much and yet, somehow I love them all so here's the lyrics and if you want to hear the song, just go find it. Any version will do. I think I've actually done a whole post around this song before but hell, after ten gozillion posts I get to repeat myself plus I'm old and that's what old people do, repeat themselves. 
There are only so many stories, y'all.

Here's the words to one of them. Have a good Sunday, whether you are working at something for love or resting from work you've already done and are about to, no doubt, do again.

Love...Ms. Moon

"I'll Work For Your Love"
Pour me a drink Theresa in one of those glasses you dust off
And I'll watch the bones in your back like the stations of the cross
'Round your hair the sun lifts a halo, at your lips a crown of thorns
Whatever the deal's going down, to this one I'm sworn

I'll work for your love dear
I'll work for your love
What others may want for free
I'll work for your love

The dust of civilizations and love's sweet remains
Slip off of your fingers and come drifting down like rain
The pages of Revelation lie open in your empty eyes of blue
I watch you slip that comb through your hair and this I promise you

I'll work for your love dear
I'll work for your love
What others may want for free
I'll work for your love

[Instrumental]

Well tears they fill the rosary, at your feet my temple of bones
Here in this perdition we go on and on
Now I see your pieces crumbled and our book of faith's been tossed
And I'm just down here searching for my own piece of the cross
In the late afternoon sun fills the room with a mist in the garden before the fall
I watch your hands smooth the front of your blouse and seven drops of blood fall

I'll work for your love dear
I'll work for your love
What others may want for free
I'll work for your love
What others may want for free
I'll work for your love
What others may want for free
I'll work for your love





11 comments:

  1. Fewer things are more healing than good company. You hug and turn to leave, and you can sense that parts of you have been made whole.

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  2. Love this post. I've decided that now I'm an ACTOR, I'm going to think only of myself and really don't need to work for love. It will come to me when I beckon it.

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  3. Mary, I love this post. It embodies so much of who are you of who I perceive you to be the essence of Mary. You are a fascinating woman full of the most unusual and creative resources and social skills. I admire you down to the tips of my toes I do.

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  4. I have been to church right here. the church of women together, holding each other, the holiest kind.

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  5. blessed be your sunday mary moon


    xxalainaxx

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  6. yes, you're right, that creative force that people call god is definitely in the women's work and women as they do the work. one of the things I like about judaism is that only the men are ordered by god to study the torah and the scriptures. when I questioned the rabbi about that he said it was because women already knew how to be and to act but the men had to learn it. of course then it translated to women having to do all the work of the home and often the affairs of income because the men were off studying torah and arguing religious laws all day. but that's more by the human intent rather than by the divine intent.

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  7. Nancy- That is it exactly. Exactly!

    Elizabeth- Let me know how that works out for you. I may become an actor too.

    Madame King- Oh, sweet Rebecca. I don't think I have many social skills. I think that if anything, I can ACT like I do. It's wearying though. But I don't feel like I need social skills with those ladies in the kitchen. They just seem to like me for no apparent reason. Your words made me happy. Thank-you.

    Angella- From the church of the kitchen to all the world. Amen. Glad you're here.

    Mrs. A- And yours, too, baby doll.

    Ellen Abbott- Oh, right. Women already KNOW how to be. So why don't they get the women to teach the men, eh? In the kitchen maybe. What a crock. I'm proud of you for asking the rabbi the touch questions.

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  8. I am in love with this post. Especially the pancakes part.

    sigh.

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  9. Gradydoctor- They were tender and good. I tell you, they were.

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  10. We had pancakes this morning too. Well, rather I fixed them on the boat for my wife. She had a craving for them. All is well there it seems. Mr. Moon is doing the handy man thing too. And glad that Kathleen made it back without any problems. She is quite the adventurer.

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  11. I just do not understand Scientology, or how anyone could possibly believe it. I suppose I could say the same about Christianity or any other religion, but at least those have some cultural traction, for better or worse. They've been around a while and they weren't INVENTED BY A SCIENCE FICTION WRITER, for Pete's sake.

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