A DAY IN MANHATTAN
We sat down in the velvet upholstered seats at the Broadway Theater. Marquee bulbs lit up the entrance with a warm glow as we made our way through a bustling crowd of eager theater goers. Some were dressed to the nines in their glitzy flapper era attire and others looked like they had just walked in off the street in jeans and a t-shirt. New York really is a melting pot with open doors and an open harbor for everybody.
It was our tenth anniversary, so I wanted to look a bit dressed up in practical street fashion. I wore a cotton pinstripe dress with white tennis shoes to walk the streets of New York all day long. And I’ve gotta say it fit the bill. I wasn’t dressed to the “nines” but Joseph thought I was a ten =) We spent all morning in Central Park, visiting iconic sites like the Bow Bridge and Bethesda Fountain before having a fancy lunch of American cuisine at a little tavern on the green.
We ended our night here at the historic Broadway Theatre. As the curtains pulled back and the opening monologue began, it was immediately clear from the glamorous set design to the actor’s stage presence that Broadway is unmatched in its excellence. The choreography was flawless. The pyrotechnics lit up the stage as the stylized sets, drenched in Art Deco design, flashed before our eyes.
Quick confession: Neither Joseph nor I had ever read the Great Gatsby. We knew we were in for an American classic, but what we didn’t know was how odd of a choice it would be for an anniversary date. Just before intermission, at a point in the plot where it seemed as if every character was having an affair, we turned to each other and said…
Wow! What a great story for an anniversary… not!
Or at least that’s what we thought.
True. It wasn’t a story about faithful love.
True. It wasn’t a tribute to anniversaries or a celebration of marriage.
But it proved to be a poignant reminder nonetheless.
A CAUTIONARY TALE
For those that don’t know, the storyline revolves around two loveless marriages and the desire to make allusive hopes a reality. It is a cautionary tale about chasing your fantasies and trying to relive the past. After pursuing momentary pleasures with his past lover, Gatsby faces the unrelenting consequences of death and tragedy.
The symbolism of the green light repeats throughout the literary work, opening with a single beacon of light at the end of a dock across the bay. It was a sign to Gatsby that he had the “green light” to pursue a forbidden romance with Daisy, his past lover. He builds a glamorous home and elaborate life across the bay in hopes of winning her back. The play ends with the narrator returning to the theme. Except this time with the sobering realization that fantasies will not cure our disenchantment with reality. True riches come, not by giving the green light to our desires but through pursuing what is true and good.
ChoosinG True LOVE
With two kids at home and baby number three about to arrive, we didn’t think an anniversary trip would be possible this year. And yet, somehow, we convinced ourselves it was worth the extra work of all the arrangements to leave the girls with the grandparents for two nights, book a last minute plane ticket and take off for New York City all with less than 2 weeks notice. I say *somehow* because after 10 years of marriage, it’s kind of our thing. We’ve had a decade of exciting adventures but not by accident.
Even something as seemingly carefree as a weekend getaway takes a lot of intentionality when you have work responsibilities, children who need you and financial goals to keep. And yet, we’ve always found it to be worth the effort. Why? Because love is worth the effort.
Leaving the Broadway Theater that night, we were struck with the poignant reminder that covenant love is not only worth protecting. It is worth pursuing. While it is easy to become disenchanted with reality, chasing fantasies is never the answer. In life and in love, there are many worldly desires that call out for us, promising something better. But the Great Gatsby reminds us that you can never escape reality.
Reality may not always be as glamorous as a gilded Gatsby party. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, reality includes every part of the struggle. But choosing to embrace reality is the only choice that leads to true love… a love that is good. A love that is real.
After 10 years of marriage, we don’t want to simply celebrate what we’ve had or take it for granted. We don’t want to wind up in a loveless marriage or, worse yet, chasing a fantasy. We want to continue putting in the work and continue choosing the goodness of covenant love as we embrace reality together.
