My Intentions Were Good!

Last night as I was channel surfing to see what might be on TV on a summer Sunday night, I came across a PBS special about 'Penguins of the Antarctic'. It had absolutely stunning photography as well as a mesmerizing narrative of the life of a penguin. This was not news to me.

I was instantly transported back to the day that I suggested to a good friend that we should go to the movies and that she should invite her married daughter to go along, too. Her daughter was in the midst of an unplanned divorce with two children under the age of three. Obviously, she was in extreme mental turmoil as were her parents who also were experiencing their daughter's trauma on a different level. Kids may grow up, fall in love, and move out on their own but it is undeniably an arrow through a parent's heart when their grown children are heartbroken. Been there myself.

I remember thinking that a movie would be a great distraction for a couple of hours...and National Geographic's 'The March of the Penguins' was playing at the local theater. Sounded relatively harmless...no people...no romantic saga to identify with...and National Geographic has a wonderful reputation for documentaries and photography. Good idea!! Right?

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Oh...My...God!!! Those 80 minutes were among the longest 80 minutes of my life.

A penguin:

-walks 70 miles to arrive at the 'find a mate' to serenade.

-mates and transfers the egg across frigid ice to be warmed by the male...where if the egg touches the ice for a few seconds it freezes [this after a 70 mile walk,etc.].

-fasts for months at a time

-walks for 20 days back to the sea [the mom] to feed herself and another 20 days back to the 'dad' and then she feeds the baby..and ,oh yeah...the male walks 20 days back to the sea to feed. He must be pretty hungry by now!!

-sleeps standing up

A penguin's life is very, very difficult with the possibility of so many, many unfortunate occurrences. Mother Nature and the cycle of life and prey/predator status can pack quite a powerful sting.

There are orcas, and leopards, and giant gull-like creatures who are predators. After watching the happy couple overcome so many hurdles, it suddenly seemed as if a gull was going to swoop down and grab the baby. At that point, I decided that I would walk out if that was indeed the next trauma. I had endured too much already...I couldn't take anymore.

Meanwhile back in the movie theater, remember that the young married friend going through a divorce and getting out for a matinee for a needed diversion ...is just about sobbing, and sniffling through a box of tissues. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me up. Like those 'sink holes' we've been seeing on the news these days!!Maybe it was cathartic and a good cry was meant to be. There's a saying that "When you are up to your ass in alligators, it is difficult to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp."

My 'take away' from the movie was that no matter how difficult my life seemed to be to me...things most certainly could have been worse!

I could have been born a penguin!