Woefully Ignorant, But Eager To Share.

Sometimes I am amazed by the gaps in my knowledge base. I would say that I know a medium amount about World War II in Europe, but apparently I don't know shit about World War II in the Pacific, except for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I am thinking about this because Josh and I watched a really good movie the other night called The Great Raid, which is based on the true story of an amazing rescue of  500 American POWs from a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines in 1942.

After watching The Great Raid I have spent a lot of time thinking about courage, and whether I have any. I mean, I am brave enough to learn how to ride a scooter, but would I be brave enough to join the Resistance and smuggle medicine to prisoners of war and help shelter the ragged insurgent army, knowing that at any minute my entire family could be tortured and executed? How is it possible to be that brave?

In one of those odd coincidences that people are so fond of, our doorbell rang just as we were settling down to watch the movie. And there was Mr. Brown, peering nearsightedly in the window. Mr. Brown is a retired Air Force officer in his eighties and also our cranky but beloved next-door neighbor. He was there to pick up his mail and tell us that on this date in history, the Japanese surrendered to the United States, and "...boy, did we go crazy. It was just like Times Square."  He is not one of those people who constantly wants to be reliving his glory days, but he will tell me stuff about WWII sometimes because I ask him about it, and I think that's why he mentioned the date to me.

(Have I ever told you that I really like old men? Even the cantankerous ones can be sweet and cheerful in a way that old ladies aren't, so much.)

Anyway, Mr Brown chatted with us for a few minutes about the surrender of the Japanese, and then made his way back down to his car, a little stiffly, but still with that determinedly erect military posture, still with the hat placed just so on his head, and drove back to the hospice where his wife of 50 years is dying of cancer and Alzheimer's.

It made me cry a little bit, to tell you the truth. I mean, I know he's had a good run and all, but goddamn being old and watching your life partner die looks like some mighty bleak times.

So, he left, and we watched the movie and doubted our own courage.

You can see why I haven't posted anything lately. I've been ever so busy with deep thoughts.