Who Goes to the Movies on Monday at 4?

Dear beautiful people,

Yesterday the electricity went out in our neighborhood for the entire day: big winds, lots of trees, power lines running to and fro, just tempting those trees. I got the hell out, and spent half the day writing at a cafe packed with other power-less residents. It reminded me affectionately of my old co-working space. Working away from home, without a fridge to open 100 times and other domestic distractions, resulted in a burst of productivity. By three o’clock I was done for the day, and not psyched to hang around at a chilly, unlit residence.

“Let’s go see the swimming movie,” I texted Steve. “There’s a 4:10 showing.”

He texted back his approval, which surprised me, because:

Who goes to a movie on a Monday at 4 o’clock?

We do!

Also, in the spirit of more Adventure this year, especially those daily life at-home adventure-ettes (aka “why not’s?”), going to a movie on a whim on a Monday supported this 2024 theme.

We headed out to see “The Young Woman and the Sea,” about Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. It’s a magnificent display of patriarchy-smashing, athleticism, endurance, mischief, and spirit. Steve and I are swimmers, our friends are swimmers, and within this beloved community, several have trained for and swum the English Channel. So a woman like Trudy feels like . . . family.

So, who goes to the movies on a Monday?

We’ll tell you, better yet, we’ll show you:

WE DO!

No one else trickled in. We had a private showing.

And still—

• I turned off my phone and kept it that way the entire time.

• The first time I wanted to comment on the movie, I leaned in and whispered carefully into Steve’s ear.

• After that, I tried to speak my thoughts at a regular volume, but it was hard. I could not override the conditioned theater behavior so engrained into my being.

However—

• Steve didn’t turn off his phone. “Why bother?” he laughed.

• During the slower portions of the movie, we checked our phones, and, as I do at home, I looked up some of the cast members to see what else we’d seen them in.

• At the film’s conclusion, Steve stood up and started clapping. “Let’s give it a standing ovation,” he said, with his cute grin. “Just because we can!”

We returned home to a warm, lit house, and prepared dinner. Steve called me over with a serious expression.

“I want to show you something.” He raised his iPad to me. “Look.”

“Over here!”

“What did you like better,” I asked. “The movie or this photo?”

“I like them equally,” Steve chuckled. I agreed.

AS FOR THE FILM

Go see The Young Woman and the Sea. It’s a good story, a worthwhile story—even if not a great film. It’s a Disney production. Take your kids, go with your sporty friends, make it a family outing, because “Young Woman” is an outrageous story of “impossible” odds, and an inspiring piece of history.

XO

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