For the majority of my life, “realism” as a literary genre appealed to me most when it came to reading and/or writing. It’s straightforward, comfortable, and familiar. There aren’t any tricks to reading or writing realism, all you have to do is stick with what you know to be true. No funny business.
A few years ago I was introduced to “magical realism,” a genre that grounds a story in realism but adds fantastical elements which are generally regarded as “normal” to the characters within the story. (For example, one of the first stories I read dealt with characters who were normal human beings with the exception that their heads were pumpkins - a simple fact that was not the focus of the story. Instead the plot centered on the concern of the parents that one of their children had an iron for a head instead of a pumpkin.)
The first exposure to magical realism was a total shock for me. The second was less so. And by the third, I realized I’d acquired the taste needed to love and embrace the genre so much that it’s difficult for me to go back to plain, old realism.
This is all to say that I think my life’s genre since knowing Jon is magical realism. Sometimes I’ll say something I think is crazy, like “Let’s go to Iceland” or “Drive closer to this car so I can reach out the window and close their gas cap cover!” And then he’ll say “Okay!” or “Hold on they’re driving faster than me I have to speed up too!” His responses shock me, but also make me realize that anyone back in realism would have said “Too cold” or “Get back in the car!” With Jon, all of the wild dreams and ideas I could ever think of become possible and so real. He makes all of my dreams come true.
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| HEYYOOOO dreamboat! |
Today is his birthday, and it is my goal to be the maker of all his dreams come true. My plans for the weekend have been slightly derailed because of work and whoopdeedoo over a certain upcoming event (which I totally called back in February when we were trying to pick a date!), so my new secret plan is to really celebrate on July 14th. He’ll never see it coming because he definitely doesn’t ever read any of this blog!!
But just in case he does... this one is for you babe:
I love you... and also other mushy feelings! I’m glad it’s your birthday, and I’m sorry we don’t get to celebrate it this weekend the way I wanted to. (stupid upcoming event, haha!) Hopefully it is still good enough! Also I hope you think the joke I’m going to make later is as funny and clever as I do. (Just so you know, I’m going to laugh because I think I’m hilarious.)
postscript: ghost of birthday past.
(photos c/o lang photographers)
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