Speaking Of First Ladies...

Friday night I went to the Two River Theater and saw Tea for Three, a new one woman show co-written by and starring Emmy award-winning actress Elaine Bromka. The play captured three First Ladies -- Ladybird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford -- at the end of their terms in the White House. Over tea with the audience, they tell how they met and fell in love with their husbands. They reveal their varied understandings of the duties of a political wife. And they can't help but tell their sides of the biggest moments of their political and personal worlds. For Ladybird and LBJ, his unexpected presidency after the assassination of JFK, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the escalation of the Vietman War, and his decision not to seek another term. For Pat and Richard Nixon, Watergate, Vietman, and his ultimate resignation. For Betty and Gerald Ford, his pardoning of Nixon, Roe v. Wade, and his loss to Jimmy Carter. 


You might think that a play about tea with the First Ladies would be dull, but Bromka squeezes a lot of history and humanity into her performance. Humanity is the key. I may be a history buff, but I was humbled by just how little I knew about these women. In fact, as someone in my late twenties, I couldn't summon up a picture of them or hear their accents in my head. It may not just be my age. First-Lady-dom institutionalizes these women and denies the humanity behind the role. 


As Bromka told more of their families, upbringings, and personal history, it lifted the institutional veil. The First Ladies morphed from historical figures to relatable women. Hearing their improbable paths to the White House, I realize what a bizarre course it is from love affair to First Lady, especially in an earlier time when wives didn't necessarily have an equal say in their husband's career choices. Michelle Obama giving Barack the third degree about why he wanted to run, how he thought he could win, and what he would accomplish once in office is a testament not only to Mrs. Obama but to these millennial times. 


For more on the current first marriage, read this profile of the Obamas in the New York Times Magazine. For more on the lives and times of Ladybird, Pat, and Betty, see Tea for Three. Two thumbs up!

I had the opportunity to speak with Elaine Bromka after the show. She was fantastic -- passionate about her research, writing, and performance. A real triple threat in my book!

Breaking News

I have the same cardigan as Michelle Obama. (It was on sale at J. Crew!)

Also, how does this woman manage to be simultaneously cute and gorgeous in a Halloween costume? 

Rawr.

POTUSes with the Motuses

Friends look at me differently after they see my collection of miniature presidential figurines for the first time. They call my name from the other room and ask, is this a civil war re-enactment? Are these action figures? What exactly is going on here? They knew I was a little nerdy, but this, this changes something. It's my dirty little secret. 


But I can explain. I'm history major with a love of American history and the presidents, which was handed down to me by my mother  -- she founded our town's historical museum for crying out loud. I also inherited her love of antique stores and quirky historical commemorative items. (My mom is using my upholsterer, and upon visiting her house he said, "It's very evident that you two are related. And you look alike too.")


So a couple of birthdays ago I became the proud owner of a set of The Presidents of the United States by Marx. The set wasn't in it's original packaging or anything, just piled into a ziplock baggy. Jefferson may have a broken arm and I think I may be missing Kennedy, but that never bothered me. Then this morning a friend sent me a link to Verrone.com, a company that picks up where Marx left off (Nixon.) They've also branched out to include presidential candidates, Supreme Court justices, VPs, and other notable Americans. Please, please, contain your excitement, you're going to break my blog. 


I immediately called my mom to tell her the good news, and something tells me there will be some tiny statesmen under the tree this year. But the real question is, am I ready to welcome W. into my home? I'm not sure enough time has passed.

Going Jeffersonian

Go check out Maira Kalman's Pursuit of Happiness blog today, and read about another generalist, our third president, Thomas Jefferson. I was never a big fan of him (I'm more of an Adams lady, myself, and before the mini-series, thank you very much), until I heard about how he used to cut out the passages of the Bible that didn't agree with him, which resulted in The Jefferson Bible.

He felt that the deification of Jesus by the writers of the New Testament polluted his understanding of the faith. Of his undertaking, he stated, "There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man. I have performed this operation for my own use, by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter which is evidently his, and which is as easily distinguishable as diamonds in a dunghill."

(The question needs to be asked: did he use two hard copies of the Bible when clipping? Because what if there was something worth keeping on the backside of a piece that had to go?)

Although I recognize that faith of any kind involves one person's acceptance of something she cannot see with her own eyes but chooses to believe as true, I don't think faith means we should accept things unquestioningly. That which we put our faith in should ring true to our inner spiritual bell. To stop listening for our inner spiritual bell is, in my opinion, to forfeit our agency in this world, making us a burden someone else must carry. And when people have to carry around a lot of dead weight, they get cranky and resentful, and then, well you know all the unpleasant stuff that happens after that.

For me, my problems with Christianity as a belief system begin and end with Jesus and the way in which most denominations (the most notable exception being Unitarians) worship the man for his message. I say serve the message, recognize the source, be grateful, be humble, and go forward and practice the teachings to the best of your ability.

To take a cue from another great faith, in Sanskrit, "buddha" means awakened one, even though in popular culture it most often refers to one buddha in particular, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Even in language alone, Buddhism invites us to believe that with steps down the right path, the inner life of the Buddha is available to anyone of us. That elicits a ring-a-ling-ling inside of me, and gives me faith in myself and my fellow man.

No religion or belief system is better than another or none at all: each day the challenge for us is to stay honest with ourselves and be responsible for our actions, whether they are rooted in faith or not.

Progress

Today is a great day in the history of our country, a day I am proud, happy, and astonished to witness. For a time I had believed that we were inching closer and closer to Babylon, sometimes even leaping. 

Today is a beam of hope amidst our murky history. Let us keep in the sunlight.

 How are you feeling today?

So Precious

The New York Times has a really great piece in their Op-Ed section today comprised of letters from children to the President-Elect, "Dear Sir Obama: Presidential Advice." It should make you smile. 

These kids have a variety of cute and profound things to say, but I really like the angle take by Chandler Brown, 12, from Chicago.

Dear President Obama,

Here is a list of the first 10 things you should do as president:

1. Fly to the White House in a helicopter.
2. Walk in.
3. Wipe feet. 
4. Walk to the Oval Office. 
5. Sit down in a chair. 
6. Put hand-sanitizer on hands. 
7. Enjoy moment. 
8. Get up.
9. Get in car. 
10. Go to the dog pound.

— Chandler Browne, age 12, Chicago