Something Aphoristic: C.S. Lewis "...act as if you do..."
“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you do, and you will presently come to love him.”
It’s over.
A quick remembrance.
Alone with my kindergartener. His brothers are elsewhere. We’re watching MeTV. "Laverne & Shirley" comes on. The boy and I smile.
The episode, titled "Oh Hear the Angels' Voices," originally aired on December 21, 1976. If "Laverne & Shirley" is unfamiliar territory, I assume you've stopped reading by now, so I will spare the show’s premise.
It’s an early 1960s Christmas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s still strange to me that the cast seems straight out of Flatbush or the Lower East Side.
The narrative unfolds: The Big Ragoo asks the gang to partake in a Christmas show at a local hospital, but upon arrival, the "Pizza Bowl Players" discover it's a psychiatric hospital.
Awkwardness, apprehension, and tension permeate. Yet, Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine, Mrs. Babish, and Frank DeFazio know the show must go on. It's Christmas, a time for giving back, and this is their opportunity to bring cheer to the patients.
It’s a showcase for the cast's remarkable talents. The Pizza Bowl Players deliver captivating song and dance numbers, featuring an original, "The Jolliest Fat Man," by Lenny and the Squigtones.
Carmine dazzles with "Jingle Bell Rock," while Laverne and Shirley, adorned as elves, enchant with singing, dancing, and baton twirling to "Winter Wonderland." It’s a spectacle. A nostalgic cavalcade of singing and dancing reminiscent of iconic shows like Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Lawrence Welk, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, and Andy Williams.
My boy and I are floored. Overcome my magnificence. I’m not kidding. In that instant, it was truly astonishing.
The show aligns with C.S. Lewis's wisdom from Mere Christianity:
"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you do, and you will presently come to love him."
The Pizza Bowl Players did not waste time. They did it all in 26 minutes and exemplified the transformative power of actions in practice. They showed love and compassion and created a genuine connection with the patients, culminating in a heartwarming rendition of "Silent Night," which solidifies the magic of this unplanned, midafternoon Christmas gift I shared with my son.