Night Away
A few months ago I found myself in Providence, RI. This week I'm in Iowa City, IA for writing and work, and as I find myself continually lost among the corn stalks and melting under the sun's burning rays intensified in this open, almost barren, Midwest heat I leave you this. In the 2002 movie The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Ashley Judd’s character flees home, family, and perhaps sanity as she escapes to a seaside hotel. Awaking a day or so later, she learns from the hotel operator how much time has passed. In that moment, the power of revitalization has taken over. The viewer can almost see the sweet relief in her shoulders, even as she frantically calls her children. Yet, the power and pressure of the young—and even more mature—mother is not the only narrative here. Women, across the board, are all in need of that frantic night away. The solitary night, in a bed you didn’t have to make, sheets you didn’t have to w...