Judging by the comments on my "Quote of the Day" entry, I misrepresented Luci! She's the sister of Chuck Swindoll (not that it matters, I just think its neat). She was asked to write the book as a single woman in her 60's. So, it didn't sound like she'd marched around declaring her determination to be single. Rather, in an era when many women chose marriage as their only option she became an executive for 30 years. It sounds like her life has been about embracing who she is and loving it rather than pining for what she didn't have. The book wasn't a projection, it was more of a reflection.
She was quoting Sophie Tucker, a vaudville star who also took who she was and made it all work. In Luci's story, the Christian publisher was asking her to write a book. She surprised herself by agreeing. Then he asked what she would base it on. She quickly joked, "Not scripture! If you'll let me do it based on this quote, I'll do it." I think it was a humorous test of whether the publisher would let her be herself or whether he wanted her to do sappy religious writing.
Speaking as a married person who was ready to be 'single for life' before getting married, there are times when I wonder what Option B would have been like. My friend in Ireland and then Luci today were neat reminders of how amazing and rich my life as a single woman might have been. Its a message most people don't hear very often these days.
Sorry for not giving the quote a context. (I always worry that I talk too much and no one reads my long wordy entries.)
3 comments:
Ok. She's off the hook, though I still totally mean everything I say, I just mean it in general.
(see why I put the disclaimer at the bottom of my original comment that "No, of course I hadn't read the book." There was no way that I'd be able to say any of that and NOT have her be an old lady reflecting on her life rather than charging head as a young woman with fields of possibility still ahead. :-) (Not that an older woman wouldn't still...)
Taken the way it is intended (as sarcasm) I think the quote is funny. I'm still waiting for my good looks to kick in. Maybe at 34?
FYI, I pretty much always read and enjoy all your entries, long or short. Sometimes I can't figure out how to reply in this context, so then you don't realize I've read and thought about what you said, but I do.
Back to the quote, knowing it was meant to be sarcastic gives it a completely different flavor and it sits much better with me :)
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