"Good Night Margaret" is an eleven minute documentary by the New York Times about two
people who fell in love. Muscular dystrophy is the unshakable theme of their waking hours, as the medical world wrestles with the limits of their deteriorating bodies. Margaret and Chris tried to stay members of the Normal crowd for as long as they could, but by early adulthood there was no escaping. Gradually they succumbed to tubes, and therapies, wheelchairs, and round the clock care.
Their rooms were adjacent, and slowly they began to notice each other, and to chat. The days that used to be unbearably long became sweet with companionship, even if their affection was hobbled by legs that didn't work. Eventually they decided to marry, and Margaret's father accompanied her down the aisle while she kept her eyes locked on Chris. They needed help leaning in for the kiss, but joy was theirs for the taking.
Bowing out of my own ridiculously indulgent life for a few minutes to try on the slippers of two people who will never leave the hospital grounds does a reasonable job of jiggling me out of discontent.
It is sweet to eavesdrop on the love of two people whose lives seemed to have been orchestrated to converge. But when the occasion of that meeting is their life long
disability, it is hard to find words. Make that unnecessary.
