Monday, December 7, 2009

sorry gene kranz (as played by ed harris)...



...but it turns out that failure IS very much an option.

How did a made-up quote from a 1990s movie about a 1970 moon mission get so deeply ingrained in my mind? In truth, I can't really blame Apollo 13 for my perfectionism. I have always wanted to do things right the first time. I have never wanted grace: I have preferred not to need it, thanks.

The other day I drove by a neighbor's yard and caught sight of a dark red apple hanging on an otherwise barren tree. I almost stopped. I so badly wanted to stand under the tree and look up at the lonely apple, hands on my hips. "It's December," I would say. "It's OK to fall now."

3 comments:

Chris Graue said...

Admit it, you were thinking about Apollo 13 Going On 30.

Haley said...

OK this comment made me laugh out loud so hard that Jon thought something was wrong with me!

...which there very well may be. ;)

Deborah said...

Maybe the apple just wished he was in Quebec. Joel brought me back some ice cider from Quebec. There they make this special apple cider where when it gets cold early while the apples are still on the tree and they freeze and then just hang there on the tree, freezing. After awhile they're finally harvested and pressed that way and something to do with them being frozen they end up with a high concentration of sugars and you end up with this dessert cider sort of thing. Kind of like ice wine. I haven't tried yet.

Too bad for that apple that it takes 80 of them to make one bottle. Maybe THAT'S what you should have told him. ;-)