October 9, 2016 WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN

I really cherish my weekend runs so it was a real bummer when I woke up to a rainy, windy, chilly morning. I decided to put off my run for a while to see if it would stop----NOPE!  Around 10:00, I decided to go to the gym--I REALLY HATE THE GYM--so I went outside and stood in the driveway to further evaluate the weather--Oh, it's not that bad--OKAY--I'm gonna go for a run--that's how much I HATE THE GYM. So I ran in or through the raw wind and rain-- and it actually wasn't too bad. Whenever I go on runs like this, I think about all the people who can't--especially family members--and that always spurs me on. I also compare the runs to one of the hardest most painful experiences ever-- HAVING A BABY--and then it's just a stroll through the park--RIGHT?? Everything is really duable--in the right frame of mind. The hardest part is really just talking yourself into getting out the door because the rain itself is cleansing and pure. I realize that childbirth and the weather do not generally have much in common--but both are important elements in one of my favorite classics written by Emily Bronte in 1847 Wuthering Heights.

First of all, weather and setting are practically characters in this novel as they are referred to repeatedly in order to set the mood for this tragic almost gothic love story. The novel takes place in Yorkshire moors between two homes--Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. It is a cold, almost savage place--dark, wet and stormy most of the time. As far as childbirth goes, poor Heathcliff is an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family--which includes two of their own children, Catherine and Hindley-- to live at Wuthering Heights. Catherine and Heathcliff grow up together and eventually fall in love.  Hindley, however, despises Heathcliff  as he is jealous of Heathcliff's easy relationship with his sister and father. Heathcliff's love for Catherine defines his life and is ultimately his downfall as Catherine is torn between the orphan Heathcliff and the genteel Edgar Linton. This is the story of the destructive power of love and the IMPORTANCE of social class in England at the time period.  It is a passionate story--very risque for the time period--that spans two generations as Catherine later dies during CHILDBIRTH and Heathcliff seeks revenge on everyone who kept them apart. If you love love stories this is the book for you. It's about 270 pages long--about a 5 mile run--that will stay with you forever as we have all felt like Heathcliff and Catherine at  some point in our lives. Enjoy!