I saw the original movie Without A Trace as a child. It always struck me that he was doing everyday things when his life changed and his mom’s life changed so quickly. Most of what I remember about the movie is the scene where the officer makes good on a follow up lead and finds the boy serving an older lady. I remember all of those police cars driving over a bridge with their lights on, sirens going, the little boy rescued. I also remember thinking that was the kind of rescue I wanted. I wanted someone to care enough to send an entire police force to escort me, in fan fair, in dramatic display to escort me to the safest place in the world.
I watch the TV show Without A Trace because they tirelessly look for lost souls. They reunite them with loved ones and usually the ending is one I can live with. I think that’s pretty much what people want in life, an ending they can live with.
Austin’s August
Without A Trace-Thursday, December 06, 2007-10:58PM EST
Yes, we’d all like an ending we can live with. How many of us would have loved a different ending to our childhoods. And yet: the middle is hard too, the day to day struggle to not give up caring what happens to us. The tedious details we must tend to over and over and over, because not doing so makes life even harder for us.
I like Without a Trace too. I’m a sucker for shows like this: ones which offer hope, but without being too sweetly unrealistic.
I dig without a trace too. It’s a great show. (Dig? My, but I’m dating myself with my slang!)
I keep imagining the Stephen King ending for me–no, not ending up as fodder for a hideous monster, but with the realization that my book has made the money I need to improve the quality of my life. He once described how he felt when Carrie was accepted by a major publisher, and he was going to throw that manuscript away. His wife rescued it from the trash.
We all deserve a happy ending.