Hilltowns Senior News for Saturday, April 8, 2017
I refuse to go to depressing movies. If I’m going to spend my hard-earned cash, I expect to feel better for it, not worse.
I don’t know if the people who line up for the latest tear-jerker or outrage live pleasanter lives than I do, or if they have a more highly-developed sense of fantasy, but their choice is beyond my comprehension.
It has been said that theater involves the “willing suspension of disbelief,” and maybe I’m more skilled than others in that one aspect. When I go to a movie, I’m agreeing to exchange my reality for the director’s version.
For me, the monsters have always been real. Even as a child, I had to be careful what I saw on Saturday afternoons. The other kids could watch Frankenstein, or prehistoric lizards, and laugh, or at least enjoy being scared.
I couldn’t. Each roar, or scream, was real, and it was just too disturbing to be fun.
At an even earlier age, cartoons and Snow White could scare me. When Woody Woodpecker got stuck in a Santa suit and couldn’t get out, I was horrified; how awful to feel so trapped, and not be able to breathe
I still can’t watch a lot of Disney, because so often a character we really care about dies. I want movies where, regardless of their unreality, there is hope for the world, and it doesn’t cost a few hundred lives to get to that point.
If I want reality and pain, I can turn on the news. The problem with that is that, as a member of the human race, I have an obligation to try to make things better on the planet, and I can’t fix all the slaughter. I do what I can, and I know I can’t do it all but, if I’m going to escape from day-to-day drudgery, I want to escape to a place where truth, justice, and happiness are possible.
Maybe the movie-makers think we forget the precariousness of our existence, and need a complete review of the potential apocalypse before they can bring out the cavalry to the rescue. I do not require conflict in my fantasies.
Bring on the dancing bears and Fred Astaire; I’m ready for a trip to somewhere beautiful.
Coming up
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Emotional Overeating Awareness Month, and Holy Humor Month. The coming week is Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week, National Library Week, and National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 operators) Week. The Hilltown Seniors will gather at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 12 for their monthly meeting. Bring your own table service and a dish to share.
The last lunch of the season at the Westerlo Reformed Church will be Thursday, April 21. Pastor Chris Allen and the crew will be getting some much-needed time off until fall. The second and fourth Thursday lunches will continue at the South Westerlo Congregational Christian Church at 282 County Route 405. Call Pastor Will Balta at 966-5094 to reserve a space.
Need legal advice? Appointments are available with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York at the Knox Town Hall. Call Pat Lightbody at 872-9400 to schedule.
Menu
— Monday, April 10, American goulash, Romaine salad with Italian dressing, whole wheat bread, applesauce cake, and milk;
— Tuesday, April 11, chicken cacciatore, broccoli, rice, whole wheat bread, pears, and milk; and
— Friday, April 14, beef chili, cornbread, peas, ambrosia, and milk.
Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. We also have transportation available to and from lunch. Just tell Linda Hodges when you call with your reservation. Does your sand-painting group, Canine Costuming club, or Sugar-glider fanciers society need an easy place to meet? Why not get together at the Senior Center? Come have lunch, and then meet with your friends. There’s plenty of room, and the Center is open for all of us. We already have games, dominoes, and cards after lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays, so come join us.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance t 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us your name, your telephone number, and how many are coming. If you’d like to help out, just let Linda Know, and she will gladly add you to our schedule of volunteers.