The Crown

Now that Michael's crazy work schedule is slowing down, we are finding ourselves with some leftover data on the weekends, to be used in moderation, of course.  I decided to watch some netflix this weekend (on the lowest quality setting, of course - it uses less data) and I came across a new show.  It turns out it is super new - it just came out Nov 4th.  It's a made for netflix show about Queen Elizabeth II's life.  It starts with her getting married, jumps to her father dying, and shows her becoming queen.  It's not full of family drama (like a lot of Princess Diana shows/movies had in it), but is historical.  (Since I lived in England, I will always be fascinated with the royal family.)

One of the huge themes is watching all of the men in office struggle with getting too old and debating when they should retire, mostly Winston Churchill.  It is so sad to watch these great men struggle with the limitations of their own deteriorating bodies.  They loved their jobs, they loved serving their countries, but they were forced out simply because their bodies couldn't keep up.  It really got me thinking.  I know I'm only 36, but thinking about how short of a time we are on this earth is humbling.  (And watching the queen mother deal with the loss of her husband was sad.  She wasn't queen anymore, so she had to move out of Buckingham Palace.  She wasn't a wife anymore.  Her daughters were grown and didn't need her.  She was lost.  And watching her find a beautiful place in the country to buy and fix up for a home was really lovely.  I'm rooting for her.  And I would totally do that if I was in her shoes.  Lord, please let it not be your will for me to ever be in her shoes.)

Secondly, this takes place in the 1950s.  Everyone smokes.  The king had a whole lung removed and continued to suck on those cigarettes with just that one lung.  His mother who looked 700 years old, couldn't breathe and was on her death bed, and sucked away.  Gross.  Smelly.  Death.  I think they didn't know back in the 50s that it was bad for you?  They smoked in movie theaters, on airplanes, at work, in cars.  Oh my goodness.

The biggest theme in this show is obviously the price of royalty.  Elizabeth's sister, Margaret, didn't get to marry who she really loved because he was divorced.  Elizabeth has marriage problems because she is always "at work" and as queen, her husband isn't allowed to have a career of his own (I think - he is always bored and resenting her - I think that's why).  Elizabeth does such a good job stepping up for a huge responsibility.  She does everything right.  Everything her advisors tell her to, even though the demands weigh heavily on her.  They are physically and mentally exhausting.  She is stoic.  She is calm.  She doesn't say the wrong thing.  She is poised.  It takes so much work!  It's fascinating.  I have a whole new appreciation for her.

Bringing that into my own life, I think about how being a mom has a tiny part of that.  Serving others, putting yourself last, doing what you know is right, no matter how physically/mentally exhausting.  Of course, it's no where near what she is going through, but only other moms know what moms go through.

I also thought about the other side of that.  Elizabeth could have really used a good husband.  Someone who supported her, told her she was doing a good job, someone who made her laugh, took care of her kids, and let her just do her job.  I thought about how that is my job for Michael.  Not because his job is incredibly difficult or stressful, but just because I love him.  It's a choice I make.  The less he has to think about small details of this house, the less he has to wonder if Kara's education is under control, the less he has to worry about, the better he can do his job and the better his quality of life is. I love being his help-mate, and watching a show with a woman who didn't have one made me want to be one even more.

So, go watch that show on netflix.  It's so interesting!  (And I had no idea about that killer fog in London.  Crazy.)  There is one season on there - 10 episodes, one hour long each.