Corner of Bourbon & Division

My mother loves Forgetful Jones. I think he's probably her favourite character in all the whole universe. Just as my father loved Super Grover and whenever Kermit the Frog did the Sesame Street News I had to call him in to watch, I used to call my mother into the room whenever Forgetful Jones was on.

I'm not sure if it's because she empathised with the constant forgetting/memory problems, or if it was his wife Clementine's exasperated lament of "Oh, Forgetful!" that she enjoyed, but she always got a kick out of those Sesame Street segments. Whenever anyone forgets anything, she'll always be quick to point out that they're a "Forgetful Jones."

I wonder if Clementine spent all her life having her feelings hurt because her husband couldn't even remember her name, let alone anything else. Or perhaps Clementine went into the relationship with her eyes open, knowing that Forgetful was who he was, and that his particular idiosyncrasies didn't impact his love for her in any significant way.

The marriage of Clementine and Forgetful Jones serves us as an important reminder that you can't and shouldn't try to change the one you love. You enter into a relationship loving them for who they are, not for who you think they should be. Forgetful loves Clementine, that much is obvious. It's a lesson in true love. Thank you, Sesame Street. :)



:::ETA::: So it turns out Forgetful and Clementine aren't married, just dating. Or maybe living in sin, it's not made obvious. ;)