Reasons Like Seasons

I am reminded of my age and status by my absolute love for the love of Mr. and Mrs. Bates. He is quiet, brooding, loyal and damaged; she is hard-working, eager to please, kind, and damaged as well. Their love is constant, generous, protective, and bruised, yet they carry on together, comitted to finding some joy in this wide world. Besides the obvious disadvantages of the lives of fictional characters in a drama, they live how I would like to live with my husband: glad of his company, proud of my work, and able to afford a fancy dinner once in awhile. I would also like to have a cook prepare all of my meals, but that is besides the point. I think a younger me would more easily see herself in Mary, tragically flawed by her own relentless fear of what could be if she allowed herself the chance to let go, lost in trying to find her place in the world. But I have a place in the world. I have a job I love and a husband who loves me. I have Boy One and Boy Two, and despite the great...

I recently started watching Downton Abby on Amazon Prime. I'd "splurged" on the free 30 day trial in order to get a ridiculously expensive bag delivered in a timely manner for free, and then I got sucked in by the wonder that is early 20th century England. I could watch historical dramas for days on end, as evidenced by my previous streaming-video bindges, which have included The Tudors, Reign, Marco Polo, and the mini-series The White Queen and Pillars of the Earth . (The Ken Follett novel was better, but the series was good nonetheless.) If it wasn't for the inconveniences that are my small children, work, the never ending pile of dishes, and attempting to spend time with my husband, I would just let myself be sucked into the rabbit hole of the recreated past, embroidery circle in hand. Now, I have yet another reason to avoid housework and let Boy One watch Scooby Doo on Netflix while Boy Two wreaks havoc on the doors and furnature. I just began watching season...