March 22, 2008

Dinner, art deco, and fairy tales.

I had the pleasure of an evening with one of my favorite people. I met her a few years ago, being invited to join in on a small gathering of women who met regularly and we've been friends ever since. She is like a real sister to me, a beautiful and smart and kind woman who radiates life, and she listens to me and cares about me and I appreciate her more than words can say.

We had a nice dinner and then went to see the movie "Miss Pettigrew For A Day." I knew it would be light fare which made it especially appealing to me. I work hard, too, in a profession where I'm constantly reminded of my own mortality, so I enjoy times when I don't have to think and when I can escape my own particular life's angst.

The movie took place in 1939 and starred two wonderful actresses, Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, and a few rather gorgeous men as their co-stars. It was a fairy tale, really two fairy tales, about women and love and their prince charmings. I don't want to give away too much, but the ladies were struggling in different ways and had to make choices about who to love. Their decisions involved choosing between money or love and between sticking to what's safe or being brave. It was a fun movie to watch, full of great clothes and architecture of the period, a bit of history, and great art deco decorations. Kind of a feast for the eyes, for sure.

I remember thinking, at one point in the movie, that women love these fairy tales, that we are programmed to be moved by a man's sweet words toward us. We love to hear that a man thinks we are the woman of his dreams, and in real life we are often swayed to make bad decisions when we hear such sentiments. It's almost like it really touched my own heart, hearing these men in a movie profess their adoration of their co-stars, and I wondered if men hear this and are moved like we are. If these words don't do it for them, I wonder what makes men feel the same kind of tug at their own hearts. Is it when we flirt with them or when we say how much we appreciate their efforts or when we make the first moves in bed? Is it just being with us in public, realizing that a loving couple is an envy of others? Or is it just knowing that we are there, waiting for their call or their next advance? We women like to think that men think like we do, but I know it's not true. I'd love to know how guys think, I really would.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

But I have often wondered when dating. After the initial meeting, is it the man who should make the next move, or do they like it/appreciate it if we might email or call them? ANy thoughts?