End of an Era: A Well-Deserved Tribute

Yoo hoo? Hi everyone!

I’ve been gone for a long time. It’s been almost a full year since my last blog entry. Perhaps I should actually reintroduce myself or have some sort of a showy “coming out” soiree like they do in the Deep South. “I do declayaaa!” I have really missed writing and even more so, I’m responding to the enormous outcry from you all to pleeeeeeeazzze blog again, oh great one! I hear your pleas and I have responded because…if nothing else, I am your most humble servant. Emphasis on the humble part. ;)

So yes…I’ve missed you. And hopefully you’ve missed me too. You deserve an update on the last two years of my life and I will give it to you, but not this time. This entry is dedicated to something very dear to me; it’s brought me out of hiding and cured me of my blogging refugee status. Here’s hoping at least. Today’s bloggsterpiece was inspired by some of the most creative writing and literary genius I might ever see in my entire lifetime. And I think you know me well enough by now to know that I’m not about to talk about some high-brow, granola-crunching, beatnik lit here. I implore you not to simply brush off my editorial today as “another one of her mad ravings” and trust that I’m one hip mama, even in my agedness, and I would never point you in the wrong direction.

If you had a galleon for every time you heard the phrase “Harry Potter”, you’d be a rich witch or wizard. You would of course be no where near as rich as JK Rowling, the author and creator of the Harry Potter series. This woman is larger than life. However, she is most deserving. There are too many millionaires (many times over) that walk this planet today; making more money that even MC Hammer could spend in a lifetime. And they’ve contributed squat to this planet and even less (than squat) to my life. Thankfully, Rowling imagined us a world to which we could retreat any time we desired. A world with magic we’ve all dreamed of making, whether it was while day dreaming, stressing, loving, or learning.

As you may have guessed, I have now finished the 7th and final installment of the Harry Potter series. I actually finished it at about 3:30am this morning. Pathetic, you say. But it has to be said, that there exists very few indulgences that I would stay up for almost three straight days just to finish! It was incredible. If I had it in me, I'd read it again today if it weren’t for an emotional exhaustion that has washed over me in its wake. Worry not! I’m no spoiler. I would never dream of blotting the experience for one who wanted an opportunity to sense the pure unadulterated fun that is indulging in Harry Potter.

JK Rowling is more than a writer, she is a creator and a teller of tales. The way she fashions her characters – all of them – captures some piece of you as an individual and makes you feel that much more real. A word, a sentence, a chapter is never just that. Every person, place, object and spell in her book is rooted with history, mythology, humor and sharp wit. Today I am gloomy that that this thing, this experience, this part of my life has come to a close. But she’s done a masterful job of leading us through 7 years in the life of Harry Potter and brought us to a fitting end. Although I am deeply saddened that it cannot go on forever and ever, I’m not sure if I would want it to. It was, essentially – perfect.

You may be thinking, “What a complete nutter she is!” or if you’re a witty one like Rowling you’d say I was nuttier than squirrel poo. And you’re right. I am a little crazy. I’m a lot of things. I am many versions of myself. And I am creative and compassionate and funny (and again…very humble!). And above all of these things, right now, I am inspired. Inspired to be the imaginative, entertaining woman I know I am for all of you. To put down my stories and ideas and ridiculous banter and hope that I too could one day inspire someone like the writing of JK Rowling has inspired me. The fact that this series is such a huge part of modern pop-culture may be a turn-off to some. Fads come and go….Beanie Babies, Pokemon, Barney, and for those of us who can go back in time a little…Cabbage Patch Kids and GI Joe. But innovations this extraordinary will live on forever. I will share these stories with my children and their children as well. They deserve to be enlightened and inspired as I have been. I can think of no greater gift than narratives.

Throughout the last decade, Rowling has taken us into a dimension of fantasy made entirely in her mind. It wouldn’t be far fetched to compare her to a literary god or creator…she created a world: a governing body, a language, a monetary system, a school, creatures, beasts, families, art and history. People will remember her notions like that of JRR Tolkien’s (add a bit of modern wit and humor). Seven years at Hogwart’s, brought us into the lives of her characters and we were them. They we’re our friends and companions and secret escapes. We experienced from afar their thoughts, their trials and tribulations, their love, devastation and fear. We grew up with them. She left no nook or cranny unexplored. A story was woven with very few things left unanswered. I have never read anything and felt such an incredible spectrum of true emotion as I have when reading these books. To me it is real. Now, before you go admitting me to St. Mungo's, please remember that I can be quite a passionate person who’s been known to partake in hyperbole. But it was real to me, in the sense that it was something that has been a part of my life for nearly a decade and I am an improved version of myself because of it.

People tease me all of the time and say what a huge nerd I am and chide me for loving what they essentially view as children's books, but I just can't imagine never having read them. They were so much more than that to me. I’ve experienced very few things in my life that have touched me so deeply and entertained me for as long as this series has. I’ve known marriages that were shorter than my bond with Harry Potter. ;) My point is that I am lucky to have known this delight and to have had the chance to dive into a great fantasy anytime I wanted. When I felt lonely, scared, tired, bored, broken-hearted and even when I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life…it fit.

So thank you Jo, for giving me Harry. Thank you from all of us for the gift of your incredible imagination. It’s meant the world to me. That comfort and enchantment was there for me in both the best and worst of times in my life and if I have to be known as the biggest dweeb-muggle that ever walked the face of this planet for loving Harry, then so be it. He and Hermione and Ron (and the lot) were good friends to me, if being a friend means being someone who makes you laugh, comforts you, enthralls you and who is always there. All I have to do is pick up a book. Hands down, Harry Potter is one of my most favorite pastimes – it’s a part of me because it’s what moves me.

Now, I suppose I can give the Potter eulogy a rest since I’ve said it all (and then some). It’s the end of an era. If you haven’t read the series, I urge you to do so. If you “just couldn’t get into it”, I urge you to give it another go. As an intelligent, creative, funny woman I can promise you that you will grow to love the world she has created just for you. Instead of watching, “So you think you can drool” or “Big Brothel” or “American Imbecile” on TV this week, consider cracking open The Sorcerer’s Stone and treating yourself. You will never regret it.

Stay tuned for the “life update” blog that I promise to post. Those of you who’ve stuck with me through this oh-so-serious blog, thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to acting inappropriate and simple in the very next entry. I just wanted to pay homage to something that in today’s world is a bright shining star!

Three cheers for Harry!