Lessons Learned From The Middle

So last night I watched an episode of the ABC sitcom The Middle where everyone in the family seemed to forget something at the end of the school year. Axl, the oldest, forgot to do his community service; Sue, the middle child, didn’t receive perfect attendance because everyone in the school forgot her; and Brick forgot to write in a daily journal for the entire school year. In order to move to the fourth grade, he had to write down everything that happened during the entire year, and his mom, bless her heart, was going to write down every single page so that he could move on.

The entire time, though, I felt myself sympathizing with the mom, Frankie, the most (as I often do). She stayed busy the entire three days until the end of school, helping her kids do what they had forgotten, and yet the entire time she kept asking her husband questions – “Where’s my phone?” she asked at one point, talking to him from her silver cell phone in her hand. “I must have left it in Brick’s classroom, hold on I have to turn back.”

This doesn’t feel uncommon to me. Not to brag, but I have a pretty good memory – I owe it to my theatre and piano years, where I had to memorize lines and music seemingly every week. But there’s always that one time, that one day, where I lose my head and forget everything.

It seems to me, though, that this is a trait that might be somewhat common in artists/creative people. Or rather, perhaps it’s a stereotype. We’ve got so much going on in our heads, from stories we wanna write to drawings that have to get on the page. Our grand vision is way more important than that lunch date, right?

Which is all to say, of course, that little did I know when I was watching that ironic episode last night, that I myself forgot to write my column, when it was supposed to be posted last night. I’m only what – 11 hours shy of being on time?

But I have to say – if that episode of The Middle taught me anything at least, it taught me that everything works out in the end, am I right?

Ah me. Let’s hope next week in the midst of these crazy midterms, I won’t forget again. No promises though.