Revolutionary Road

I don't have any plans to see the new Kate Winslet/Leo Dicaprio movie anytime soon, but all the reviews about it have certainly given me some pause. The plot is that of a fifties suburban family who are destroyed by their attempts to recapture the dreams and adventures of their pre-domestic life. In the story, the wife is the prime catalyst of the destruction, as she sets up plans to escape. The story hit a little bit too close to home for me. I feel like I constantly struggle with second guessing my life choices and wondering how exactly I got to be a mom of four living ten miles from where I grew up, when I pictured a life very different then this.

Of course, this is not the 1950s, and I am not some bored housewife trapped by decisions beyond my control. Still, the sentiments made me squirm. On the radio, they were discussing the movie, when a favorite talk show host of mine told a story of how he used to crave a life of adventure, but when he actually saw the lives of the war correspondants who he fantasized about being, he realized their lives were pretty hard and difficult. I have a few friends who live lives close to what I imagined I always wanted and they aren't really any happier than I am. They are often anxious about the choices and sacrifices they have made for their freedom and adventure.
At 31, I still feel like I have a lot of time to live out other lives, and to enjoy the time I have with my family now. I also try and remember that no matter who you are, life is basically filled with the mundane, and that contentenment comes from finding happiness even in the tedious. I don't know that my shlipkis is going to go away anytime soon, though.