I love old movies. I’ve likely said this before, but it’s OK. It’s my blog. So, if I so choose, I can say it again. I so choose. Movies from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Movies in which the men were gentle and the women carried themselves with grace. Movies in which love had to do with romance and not sex. Movies where men “wooed” women with chivalry and respect. Movies where the women wouldn’t give a man a second thought if he did any less.
All of the guys wanted to dance like Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly. They wanted to sing like Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby. They wanted to be like Cary Grant or James Stewart. The women wanted to dance like Ginger Rogers or Cyd Charisse. They wanted to sing like Judy Garland or Kathryn Grayson. They wanted to be like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly.
One of my favourite scenes from a movie is from Singin’ In The Rain. It is, of course, Gene Kelly’s routine for the title song. Perhaps more so than any other scene in any other movie, it captures a feeling of pure joy. You can’t watch that routine and not smile. He is man who has been captivated by a woman, and his heart, in that moment, is clearly on his sleeve for all to see.
December the 3rd was a brutal day for me. Not because of any event or circumstance per se. It was just “one of those days.” I hadn’t had a day like it in quite a while. My attitude was just junk that day. I’d like to say that it wasn’t about a self pity party, but I suppose, maybe on some level, it really was.
I was having an email conversation with a friend. In essence, I was spilling my guts about the prospects of facing my 3rd Christmas alone. She knows how much I love Christmas, and I was telling her that I just didn’t want it this year. I had kind of given up. I really was starting to let myself believe that hope was gone. It sounds dramatic, of this I am aware. But it’s also true that, unless you’ve lived through even some of what I’ve gone though, it’s hard to truly understand all I was feeling.
My friend, bless her heart, tried to encourage me, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. I was miserable, and, frankly, I wanted to continue to be miserable. Christians don’t like to let Christians be miserable. So Christians are always trying to fix problems. But you know what… I wanted no part of it. God loves us, even when we’re ticked. I believe He understands. So on December the 3rd, I was in a bad mood all day long.
On December 5th, two days after the worst day I had had in a very long time, two days after I had quit women, given up hope, and was settling in for another holiday season alone, something unexpected happened. Something amazing happened. Two days later, my hope had been restored when – following a series of coincidental events – a young lady “Facebooked” her way into my life.
When I reflect on the story – which I’m not allowed to tell – I smile. Maybe coincidence wasn’t coincidence at all. Maybe it was all part of something greater than me and my bad attitude from December 3rd. I don’t want to overthink it. Not yet, anyway. So instead, I’ve just chosen to bask in it. And like Debbie Reynolds did to Gene Kelly, this young lady has captivated me. She did it with her quick wit, her blue eyes, and a smile that could brighten the rainiest day!
On my way to church this morning, as the skies opened up and the rains came down, I found Gene Kelly on my iPod. I played it once. Then I played it again. Then again. I ended up listening to it on repeat all the way to church. And the more I listened, the more I sang, and the more I pictured those blues eyes and that smile in mind, the more I finally understood what it was like to be “Singin’ In The Rain.”
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