In the Presence
Talk about feel-good news. Taylor Swift is engaged. Judging by my social media feeds, the entire world is happy for her. Heck, I’m happy for her. And I think she’s happy for herself. Of course, I have no idea how she manages the life of a public figure. There are so many instances when I’d rather not have people looking at me that I can’t imagine having people looking at me all of the time, and we look at Taylor all the time.
The last woman I can remember who had this sort of effect on the public was Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of president John Kennedy in the 60s. The media and TV buzz about her was relentless and continued through the rest of her life, including her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, and talk about a glorious first name, Aristotle. Jackie was grace personified. She had power. And she knew how to wield it, not unlike her younger, 21st century counterpart.
I’d love to see the world, just for a minute, through the eyes of Taylor’s female fans, because there are powerful, intensely felt emotions at play, and it would be something to behold them, I’m sure. But isn’t that the beauty of emotions and love? They course through us in ways unimagined by strangers, only to be seen as smiles, laughter, and other sounds of joy. And if that’s the best I can get, I’ll take it because there are too many people in today’s world who take pleasure in spreading misery, and I’d much rather be in the presence of love.