Category Archives: Life

#Baywatch

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I recently rediscovered this show from the 1990s.  It is about a group of lifeguards in Los Angles, California. At its height this show was, quite frankly, a phenomenon.  It had a worldwide following and was on the air for more than 10 years. I am pretty sure I watched it when it aired but I remember very little of it.

As I was watching a few episodes I started to notice a number of things. At its heart it was a drama about lifeguards and it showed them in the most heroic manner.  It also highlighted what was most important in life. It showed good people caring about others. It showed people doing the right thing, even when it hurt.  It highlighted the importance of telling the truth and of honesty and compassion. I think it is as relevant today as it was titillating in the 90s.

When people talked about Baywatch they always commented on the skimpy bathing suits and the women running down the beach (in slow motion) with their bits jiggling away. They talked about how good-looking the lifeguards were and how their muscles  glistened and their hair was… Yes, the focus of the audience was on the surface.

It was fun, it was pure escapism, it was Hollywood.  It wasn’t high drama or even politically correct by today’s standards.  I believe we all need a little mindless distraction.  Isn’t it so much better when that mindless distraction actually has a message underneath and one that is so positive? David Hasselhoff was the main character and he is still known for that show. Several other actors started on Baywatch and went on to have quite successful careers. Putting aside all the jingling, it’s nice to see lifeguards portrayed as more than pretty bimbos. They even had an actual LA lifeguard as one of the regular cast. He had a career as a lifeguard for over 20 years.

The show put me in mind of Aesop‘s fables. There is a story on the surface but there’s a message imbedded. I remember those fables as a child and the lessons they taught me. Maybe Baywatch is a grown-up version.

 

 

 

He Said, She Said

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I was walking down the street the other day, (yes, I say walking even though I’m in a wheelchair) and I heard something very interesting. I was not intending to listen to a conversation, but it is inevitable when large groups of people are together. The conversation went something like this:

“He’s going to kill again!”

“He doesn’t mean to, he doesn’t know any better.”

Now at this point it did cross my mind that perhaps this was a conversation for the police to hear. And yes, I slowed my forward motion just a tad so I could hear the rest of the conversation. Again, it crossed my mind that this might be a stupid thing to do as perhaps I didn’t want to be a witness to a crime? But Curiosity will always win. After all, I might get a great story out of this!

I did sneak a peek at the two individuals who were speaking. I might be called to identify against them. They seemed to be in their mid 30s, well dressed, well spoken (except for the allegedly illegal crime). They didn’t seem to be in any great hurry and it was the perfect day for loitering. I also wasn’t in any hurry and besides, Curiosity!

It was also at that point that I started to wonder about all the conversations we hear, whether intentionally or not and just how they affect us. This conversation got my creative juices on high alert. Was there a story here that I could tell (fictionally of course)? It was starting to sound like a movie of the week or maybe a series! I really needed to hear more!

The conversation continued and while I was enlightened as to the actual topic, I was also crestfallen. My creative juices had a little too much vinegar in them.

“I gave him a book on how to do it. He didn’t read the book.”

“He’s not a reader. He figures everybody should know how to grow tomatoes­, but he doesn’t.”

They were talking about tomato plants! I tried very hard not to be heard laughing as I went on my merry way. At the very least I got something to write about for my Sunday post. And I should not have been so quick to judge something I did not understand. I think that’s a little more common than we would like.