"I know a woman, became a wife; these are the very words she uses to describe her life - She said ...
'A good day ain't got no rain' She said ... 'A bad day is when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been' ". From "Slip Sliding Away" by Paul Simon
In 1977, when Paul Simon succinctly captured a woman's quiet desperation in "Slip Sliding Away", I quickly added his song to my solo act. As a twenty seven year old, I marveled at Simon's precocious wisdom. Author Elizabeth Strout was twenty one years old at the time. How did she react to Simon's lyric? Was a seed planted?
Fifteen years later, Strout's quietly desperate character Olive Kitteridge made her first appearance in a short story called "Running Away". That story - later retitled "Ships In A Bottle" - and twelve others then became Strout's 2008 Pulitzer Prize Winner entitled "Olive Kitteridge".
"Sometimes, like now, Olive had a sense of just how desperately hard every person was working to get what they needed. For most, it was sense of safety, in the sea of terror that life increasingly became." From the story "Security", included in "Olive Kitteridge"
Last fall, right in the middle of teaching a multi week course on Paul Simon's music, I devoured "Olive Kitteridge" in one sitting. I recall not being able to get Olive out of my head when playing "Slip Sliding Away" during class. Ever since, Olive has infrequently popped in on me. As I recently led a book discussion on Strout's masterpiece, the synaptic spark reversed direction. I heard Paul Simon singing "You know the nearer your destination the more you're slip sliding away." Does Elizabeth Strout ever hear Paul Simon when she imagines Olive?
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
I came onto my email to send you a message about gratitude for your blog over the past year of transition and personal growth, and then here you were, sharing more introspection to feed my soul. Thank you, Pat! This particular entry speaks volumes to me...there is a Natalie Merchant song, Ladybird, with a similar haunting message that reminds me that we never know what others are going through. We, as humans, are particularly adept at going through life and moving forward however frightening the days might be, especially when we have the young hearts of our children looking to us for cues. I am kept in check that I need to treat others with gentleness and the understanding that not everything is what it seems. What is the 'destination' anyway??? Even that is elusive and every changing...
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, that was my abbreviated response since I really should be studying for a Praxis exam I will encounter tomorrow for four challenging hours. But first I must jokingly admonish you for sending me, once again, to the bookstore....I will look forward to meeting "Olive Kitteridge" as my reward for studying many hours for tomorrow's exam.
Thank you, Pat!
d; You're welcome. Thank you for continuing to read and your kind comment about "...feeding your soul...". And since you're going to add "Olive Kitteridge" to your reading queue, I'll add the Natalie Merchant tune to my I-Tunes library. Fair is fair.
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