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On Tumblr I read a quote by Audrey Hepburn talking about her ideal day, and it looks a lot like what I want in my life:
"It’s going to sound like a thumping bore, but my idea of heaven is [having] Robert and my two sons at home —I hate separations— and the dogs, a good movie, a wonderful meal and great television all coming together. I’m really blissful when that happens. [My goal] was not to have huge luxuries. As a child, I wanted a house with a garden, which I have today. This is what I dreamed of. I’d never worry about age if I knew I could go on being loved and having the possibility to love. If I’m old and my husband doesn’t want me, or my children think me ugly and do not want me—that would be a tragedy. So it isn’t age or even death that one fears, as much as loneliness and the lack of affection."
Now when I say I love Audrey Hepburn, I mean it. Two summers ago, I read an Audrey biography by Barry Paris and also An Elegant Spirit, the biography written by her son Sean. I instantly related to her simplicity and her need to keep loved ones close by. I suppose all of this was especially appealing to her after a chaotic life of celebrityhood, but I think she wouldn't have minded a life without all that fame so long as it ended in the same way: with slow, peaceful days in Switzerland where she could enjoy good food, flowers, long walks, and all the people she loved most.
I guess the quote struck me even more because tonight Mario and I were doing that thing where we're both in lovey moods, and we start slyly referring to our future together as if it's a given. Tonight we floated the idea of living in Philly, or at least a suburb outside of it. Philly's ideal because 1. it's a smallish city, and 2. we both want to stay close to our parents. We even imagined we'd need an extra bed for when one of us can't get comfortable enough to sleep; Mario claims he moves around a lot. (I do too, actually. I once punched my aunt in my sleep while we were sharing beds on vacation, whoops)
I'm sure both of us secretly daydream about being famous or something ridiculously ambitious--we both love movies and acting too much not to dream--but you know what? I'd turn down fame, riches, the moon, and flocks of friends if it meant I could just live my entire life with someone I'm mad about by my side, and with my closest friends and family just a short car ride away. Is that corny or what? I stand by it. Corny's good! Audrey really hit it on the head. I could face death and wrinkles so long as I got to grow old without wanting for affection and good company.
Tomorrow Mar's flying off to visit his dad in Minnesota for 18 days, which is partly why I'm suddenly thinking about being away from loved ones. (Yeah yeah yeah 18 days is chump change compared to the months we spend apart during the school year, but it seems a lot longer after a whole summer together.) I can't wait for the day when trips become a couple-activity and not time spent away from each other.
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