Golden Girls
Many years ago I attended a matinee of Phantom of the Opera in Los Angeles and saw one of the Golden Girls actors in the ladies' restroom. It was dear, sultry, southern Blanche. She was short in stature, appeared to have her full stage makeup on, and was very gracious to those of us waiting in line. I was beyond thrilled that I was close enough to touch her. But I froze like a deer in traffic and held my breath - words could not form in my brain nor roll off my tongue. Which leads me to...
Most people have vices that they rather not talk about. Its the happy homemaker that has a glass of wine at 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm and another one after dinner. It may be the young mother that makes frequent trips to the laundry room where she can sneak a cigarette. It could be the receptionist at your dental office that can't wait to get home and smoke her medicinal weed.
Folks have all sorts of bad habits that range from nail biting to food binges to exercising until the cows come home. I have a terrible habit of removing my mascara at night while I'm watching television. I don't use a make-up removal pad; I don't use a cotton ball and Vaseline; I don't use a cream that I can rub in and magically remove layers of mascara. I pick it off, nice and slow. And yes, I do lose lashes that way but its a habit that I'm accustomed to.
But this essay isn't about addictions or mascara - its about a sitcom that I find myself watching at 10:00 pm five nights a week on the Hallmark channel. Its called the Golden Girls.
When this program hit the airwaves on September 14, 1985 I didn't pay any attention to it. I was 34 years old, working 40+ hours a week and trying to be the best single mom I could be. I believed the show was about four senile ladies that shared a home. Simply not interested.
Boy, was I wrong! I could have learned so much back then - in my good old days. These wonderful women sat in their kitchen eating cheesecake and talking about everything under the sun. Topics included aging; divorce; death; jealousy; childbirth and living in an empty nest. They spoke about their weight; their wrinkles; their disappointments; their bucket lists. Blanche had a brother who was gay. Dorothy was devoted to her husband for 38 years and he dumped her while he suffered a mid-life crisis. Rose always played the dumb blond... but could get up on a soap box and speak like a darn politician. Sophia was a loving mother who never learned to hold her tongue. Instead of giving you hope, Sophia would offer up brutal honesty.
Charming - humorous - gregarious - honest - loving - forgiving. These women lived and learned and gave one another a hand to hold onto. It was sisterhood at its best.
Truth be told I do have a vice - I admit I have an addiction. I love watching the Golden Girls and if you're a woman between the ages of 20 and 80 you should too. It will delight you - these girls won't disappoint you. What they speak of is the truth and it might be a good time for all of us to take off our rose-colored glasses.