I’m back and boy, have I missed it! However, as happy as I am to be back and writing in my blogs, I am truly saddened today by the news of Nora Ephron‘s death.
Nora Ephron was an icon and an inspiration to everyone who ever wanted to write. She made it all seem so effortless and her humor was something I really “got”. I watched a video of an interview linked to news of her death, where she talked with Charlie Rose about her book “I Remember Nothing”. She was so good at deflecting what she didn’t want said or assumed, wouldn’t let the interview go in directions she wasn’t going to go. So frank about what she did want to reveal about her life and her thoughts on aging.
She “got” all the nuances of being post-menopausal and how you eventually realize that the condition continues to worsen until your memory becomes a little evasive…or just downright not there at all. The reaching for words you know you know but somehow can’t think of…and how you do a quick rundown of “starts with” or “sounds like” until the word finally comes or you think of four or five more that express the same idea, but not with the same panache. She “got” how divorce is a pivotal point in your life. Time may grant you distance from the actual event, but it doesn’t let you forget about it entirely. She “got” that the one good thing about remembering divorce is that it helps to warn you when you are about to make the same mistake all over again, or a new one that may be even worse. She also “got” that it would be a real shame if you let your bad experience keep you from trying again and trusting again.
I loved everything she ever wrote and all the movies she wrote/directed/produced. They were all wonderful. I think my favorite is the scene in “When Harry Met Sally” when Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm in a crowded restaurant. Aside from Ms. Ryan’s convincing performance, it’s still the line spoken by the lady who says “I’ll have what she’s having” that sends me into paroxysms of giggles….no matter how many times I see it.
Nora Ephron leaves behind a legacy of her life…words. Words she knew how to put together in a style that is (I know the word I want and it starts with an s, but I can’t think of it so I’ll just tell you–without panache–what I want to convey) easily recognized as uniquely hers.
Her death makes me sad, but I know that I’ll laugh every time I watch “When Harry Met Sally” and when I re-read her books, and when I think of something that reminds me of something she wrote.
Today I’m thinking of Nora Ephron, what are you thinking about?
P.S. Just FYI…The word I was reaching for is singular…”in a style that is singularly hers”. See, it does come…………..eventually!
