it’s a few days after the Academy Awards and since I live in a rural area of a tiny country sometime in the late 19th century, I missed the broadcast. I got most of what I wanted to know from Facebook. Including my first look at this infamous picture.
Since I missed the actual show, I thought I might find some good clips on YouTube. EVERYTHING came up Angelina and her leg. It was like the aliens had taken over and all they wanted us to see was her leg.
It was weird.
Especially since I think of her often these days. There’s a chance she & Brad & brood could be my neighbours. We know they bought in Costa Rica, we just don’t know where exactly. So, surprisingly often while I’m going through my day — of remarkable things I’ve never done before — I wonder: is she is enjoying the true Tico life that I am?
I think of her: As I’m using a pin to dislodge the lime deposits from my plastic shower head; As I’m walking around my property in search of a cell signal; As I’m using a mop to wash the floors four consecutive times with different strong cleansers. Is Angelina doing the same as me right now? As I’m listening to the amazingly vocal cacophony of the wildlife all around me; watching the sun rise magnificently and reliably; and pumping the water from the well I sometimes speculate that Angelina might be as well.
While I make fresh juice, three times a day, from the citrus trees in our yard; have to simply accept that the man we hired didn’t come to work and smile and offer him fresh juice on the day he does; or deal with what is becoming an impressive line up of different types of ants all over the house I think, “Maybe Angelina is doing this too. I wonder what she makes of it all.” Does she also stand at her outdoor sink, with a scrub brush working it furiously to get the stains out of her clothing while watching the monkeys in the canopy above? Perhaps not the Oscar dress, but, you know, the regular stuff?
Does she sit outside at night, in the relative quiet of the new moon and gaze in awe at the remarkable starry sky and think “we are so small”?
Do her kids eat rice, beans and tortillas from the open fire as my neighbour’s kids do? Do her kids make do with sticks for toys while they are in Costa Rica? Do they also have to watch out for scorpions, horse piss spiders and wasps that can strike you down with a single sting? I guess even Angelina and Brad can’t control the bugs.
I’d love to chat with her one day about it all, girl to girl. I bet she’d have some pretty great stories to tell.
Originally published March 2, 2012
Brenda Sanderson Loved this, and learnt a lot about your way of life. Sorry to disappoint but I am certain that Angelina is much too busy adopting kids to have time for mundane household chores!
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