Friday I took myself to see Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I read the book more than 50 years ago, and I just had to see the movie. Like most people I usually like the books better than the movies that are made based on them.

So you may ask? What about this one?

First let me set the stage. The movie theater I went to is at a mall, and I haven’t been to the mall in a very long time. I used to go each morning and walk around and around, looking at the windows, watching people, hardly ever buying anything. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I bought anything at the mall. Which makes me wonder how they survive.

It felt like a parallel universe when I walked inside on a Friday afternoon. Lots of people, most of them with little kids were walking around. It was noisy in a way I don’t remember. Teens wandering, which seemed odd on a school day. But frankly I have no sense of age, so maybe these were young adults, long out of high school.

I was early, so I walked part way around the mall, noting stores that were new, the loss of stores that used to be. OK. Let’s be honest. I walked part way around the mall to use the restroom.

I’m that age now.

Anyway, eventually I made my way back to the theater and stood in a short line to buy tickets. Everyone in line was an older woman. My age, actually.

The young man selling the tickets was slightly overweight, scraggly beard, a bit of a mustache, greasy hair. When I asked for a ticket to Are You There God, he smiled and said he remembered when he was a young girl growing up in the 70s always giggling with his friends about boys.

That set me back a moment.

I didn’t want to be judgmental, or reactionary, or inappropriate so I just smiled and nodded as I waited for my ticket. I took a second glance at him, trying to figure out if he was once a girl. Maybe. But then he started to laugh, and I was startled out of my musings. Just kidding he said, and I smiled and took my ticket and said, well, you never know…and he said no you don’t and I went to find my assigned seat.

And hours later I thought….You’re an idiot, he was much too young to be anything in the 70s! Why would you focus only on the fact he said he was a girl and not see how unreasonable the whole scenario was?

Anyway. The movie.

I thought the movie was marvelous. I don’t know how long it was because I never once checked my watch, which is something I almost always do in movies. I have such a short attention span. I smiled to myself through almost all of it. It was a gentle, sweet, thought provoking movie. I recommend it.

If you’re a woman of a certain age you probably read the book. Even if you haven’t, you should take yourself to this movie.

Tonight I watched a tape of an interview of Judy Blume on the Tonight Show. It’s short….take the time and see what she thinks about her book being made into a movie 50+ years after she wrote it.

I guess growing up in the 70s wasn’t so bad, even if the hairstyles and clothes were. Go see the movie and be reminded.