I know you're out there

Even though there aren't a lot of comments, I know that there are people who read this blog. I know because people tell me they do and because I have these nifty diagnostic tools set to see how many hits the page gets.

So where are you? How's life treating these days? I was talking with some of my flesh-and-blood friends and we all agreed that our lives these days are not at all what we expected. I don't really know what we expected, but I know this isn't it.

Once, I saw a movie version of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. I was already familiar with the basic plot -- woman marries, realizes it's not it's cracked up to be, has affair, it all ends tragically and horribly. Typical French novel. Someone probably died in the rain. Or maybe of consumption.

Anyway, my main memory of the movie was that Madame Bovary spent a lot of time thinking, "this is not what I expected." When she fixed breakfast for her husband and burned the gruel: "this is not what I expected." When she had to go pump water from the well: "this is not what I expected." When she didn't have enough money for a new dress: "this is not what I expected."

Really?

Now I don't know if the movie version I saw was a good reflection of the book or not. I haven't read it. (SHOCK!) My primary memory is coming away from the movie thinking, "God, please don't ever let me sound that whiny. Ever. Help me to find some way to be content with my surroundings no matter what they are."

So that's my prayer these days. Even though my life is not at all what I expected, I hope that God will show me ways to be content.

In case you're wondering, Veggie Tales writers and producers must have seen some value in Madame Bovary because Madame Blueberry is very much based on our poor French heroine's tale.

Speaking of Madame Blueberry, here's my favorite version of her lament. Ignore the really bad lip syncing.