canon

I have a strange obsession with Pachelbel's Canon in D. Everytime I hear it I almost start crying. I think of weddings and meadows and clouds (oh my!). During my senior year of college, I took a class on Chamber Music. We learned music theory - chords, fifths, gins, tonics (heh).

One thing I must admit: I do not have an artistic brain. Not even close. I can't draw, play music, or create anything that has not yet been created. I forgot everything I learned in that music class. Now, all I can tell you about Pachelbel's Canon is that it makes me happy. So happy that I remember being frozen when a high school chamber music quartet in Grand Central Station began to play the piece. I was not alone - a large crowd gathered. I even put money into the cellist's case ... because damned if that did not make me forget that I was on the way to a very boring job encased in a very boring life. Five minutes ago, Canon came on as I listened to my iPod. And I just sat there, momentarily forgetting that my job is still boring as is my life.

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A NY Times article yesterday announced: "Many Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to Motherhood ." The writers cited interviews with women currently attending or who had graduated from prestigious schools: i.e. Yale, Harvard Business School, etc. The results indicated that most of these smart women want to have babies and be good moms. Even if that means putting their careers on the backburner. My reaction? Well, duh.

Based on my interactions with some of my closest girlfriends (who happen to be Harvard alums), I could have told you that most of us really want to have families. Smart women want careers. Intellectual stimulation and success are paramount for establishing a strong sense of self. But I think all of us recognize that professional success does not translate into personal happiness. A good home life does. Good parents, spouses and children do. So is it really that shocking to think that these "smart" women realize that life means having to compromise and ultimately be true to yourself?

I forwarded the article to some of my friends with the caption:

Big surprise. The real story should read "Women at elite colleges want to be mothers but can't find decent guys to have babies with."

Now there's an article I would find interesting.