She was out for the evening. I tried several movies on Netflix. Nothing gripped me. Nothing even squeezed me lightly. How about reading? Not the nerdy stuff. Not the helpful, healthful stuff. Something lighter, quicker. I started last night on "Young Jane Young" by Gabrielle Zevin. I am now 70% done.
Getting into a light story, something that does not call for much mental effort, something with a bit of wit and sensitivity. This story qualifies in my opinion. Getting into something that has nothing to do with the mind, self-knowledge, psychology or advanced topics sounds good at times, especially if the material is well-put together.
I have read that it is not a story until something bad happens. Quite a few people these days say they feel that they don't want to hear about anything bad happening. We have enough bad happenings in the news. But I think if you try it, you will find, as have others before you, that your interest is not really engaged until there is a bit of "dramatic tension." You know how it goes: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl. Without that center part, no taste, no challenge, thus too little interest. When the storm strikes, the villain vills, the heroine is left crying on the dock, the beautiful monument is swallowed up, the rook flies away with the ring, that's when we get a squirt of adrenaline. That's when we get a surge of strength and determination and resolve to see things made right.
I know that when you are past 60 years of age, you have heard many tales. You are not as likely to be excited by the wickedness of the witch and the boasts of the bad guys. That is why it takes a bit of searching to find something that appeals. That is why several movies, made at genuine expense by talented people with hopes of strumming our heartstrings, didn't work. I don't say I am uniquely sensitive or have high-level tastes. I just find that the wrong comment, the wrong facial expression and I am off looking for something else. I do say that searching and tasting and maybe eventual fatigue are often required before I can get satisfaction.
