ExposedNYC

I landed safely in Los Angeles to meet Callie for the recent holiday week/end. Straying from typical single 20-something behavior, we decided to forego spending this one in a crowded bar full of our peers and leaned more towards a family friendly Fourth. She got us tickets to the Hollywood Bowl’s Philharmonic and Fireworks show.

As we climbed up the Hollywood hillside to our seats in the outdoor amphitheater, I couldn’t help but notice the prevalence of American flag-style apparel and a large generational gap. The philharmonic clearly knew their audience, too. The show was a tribute to the Old West, honoring movie stars John Wayne and Gene Autry and including a Toy Story 2 medley about Woody. Any presence of the Dixie Chicks and Kid Rock was evidently lacking.

The family in front of us had gone all out on their picnic preparations, and we marveled every time a new Tupperware container passed by. They had everything from corn-on-the-cob to fried chicken, fruit salad, and to top it all off, red, white and blue Jello sliced into neatly stacked squares. Callie and I, with our snacks bought at the café, turned to each other grinning and said, “I want to be part of that family.”

This sentiment arose again halfway into the show when we caught a toddler a few rows down squealing and clapping her hands along with the music. I voiced my gut instinct of, “Aw, I want one.” And then was immediately struck by the image of being a parent. For the first time I can remember the idea scared me.

I imagined having to pack up a stroller, snack foods, diaper bags and all of the other amenities that traveling with a child requires. I pictured having to talk it over with my husband before deciding on a spontaneous trip across the country to see one of my girlfriends. For a moment, I mentally thanked the stars that I was single.

It was a nice reminder that at least partially, I’ve chosen the life I live. Sure, it’s partially because I haven’t met Mr. Right yet, but I do love a lot of the freedom that living single provides me. I’ve got years of Tupperware and patriotic attire waiting for me in the years to come, but in the meantime, I’ve got more on my agenda than slicing Jello.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 15th, 2007 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Life, Moments, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.