Real People

I've been thinking more about the movie, Meatballs, and not just about how much younger Bill Murray looked in 1979. The teenagers, adults and kids in that movie look like . . . real people. Murray's hair is too long and he's not in great shape, his love interest looks like an actual human being who might not wear makeup or get dressed up when acting as camp counselor, and unbelievably, they don't have perfect teeth. Curly hair is allowed to get flyaway and though there are requisite "pretty girls" and at least one "handsome" guy, they don't have major parts and they don't get star billing in the film. You might say that's what I get for watching a movie called Meatballs, but seriously, tell me the last time you watched a movie where people weren't perfectly fit, made up, buffed, shined and airbrushed? In 2014, even reprobates with long hair and unshaven beards have perfect long hair, and the exact right amount of scruff  not quite hiding their symmetrical, blazing white teeth. I miss seeing real people on film and TV, miss feeling like my reality is normal.

In a somewhat-related tangent, I went to the doctor's office today to see my internal medicine doc. He's a great guy, and has seen me through the absolute worst of times with a cheerful realism and practical advice. I was nervous, though, not because of the appointment but because of the weigh-in that always accompanies a routine check-up. I thought about  not looking, I thought about wearing a light-weight skirt and tank top (though it's only 48 degrees) to add less clothing poundage to the total, but in the end I just wore jeans and a sweater and stared that digital read-out right in the face. When the number popped up, I felt . . . relief. It's the same number I saw three months ago, the same approximate weight I was for years before marathon training started me on the road to emaciation, and more importantly, the new normal. It felt significant to accept the fullness of who I am now as right and good - a real person. Unless they remake Meatballs I won't be starring in any films, but I feel pretty good about the starring role in my own life.