House Rules: A Time To Write & A Time To Live

"That incredible memory you have of the past is nothing compared to that Technicolor future of yours..."

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Rita, live in living Technicolor.

I think the pictures say it all, don't you?

Rita went from living in black and white to living in Technicolor. And it all started with taking Theresa’s advice to heart.

"That incredible memory you have of the past is nothing compared to the Technicolor future of yours, if you will step out and have the courage to embrace it. Be bold, and follow your dream, whatever---and whoever---it is."

For Rita, her Technicolor future found expression in her manuscript, her journey to becoming Miss Special Delivery and, ultimately, telling Norman she was in love with him. Rita’s path included both a “whatever” (Miss Special Delivery) and “whoever” (Norman), which were deeply intertwined, neither of which could have been pursued unless a certain obstacle, revealed in her manuscript, could be overcome.

Rita’s manuscript was all too appropriate a starting point for putting her on the path to achieving her dreams, even if she hadn’t verbalized what they were yet. It revealed a habit that not even Rita realized she was guilty of until Shane pointed it out to her.  

In “Soulmates” Rita, inspired by Theresa’s directive to be bold and courageous, brought in her manuscript with the intent to send it to a publisher. But it quickly became clear that Renita Hayweather, Frontier Duchess was more a “thinly veiled autobiography” as Shane put it, than work of fiction. Rita was writing stories in lieu of living her own, and, it seems, she had created quite an elaborate world for herself in those 782 pages!

Where Rita gave herself away was in the similarities between the world she had created and reality, which Shane pointed out to her. Rita slowly began to realize where she had gone wrong, ultimately deciding not to send the book to a publisher after all. She seemed discouraged, but Cora told Rita that she had a big heart and was “marvelous,” and it wasn’t long before Rita came to the conclusion that real life was “so much better.” The admission freed her to begin living her story, as opposed to writing it.  

Renita Hayweather wasn’t left completely in the past, however, as she was also Rita’s inspiration for finding the courage to finish her application for the Miss Special Delivery Pageant in “The Edge of Forever.”

Rita’s preparations for the pageant quickly intersected with her other dream of getting together with Norman. He became a critical partner in helping her achieve her pageant dreams. If you’ll remember, he encouraged her to memorize the 2014 Postal Code for the local branch talent competition, and also helped her study for the fun facts category on her way to the statewide pageant. Norman was also the key to her win in both instances.

While Rita excels at remembering things she has seen and read, it was things she had heard from Norman either at, or before, the competitions that ultimately led to her success. At the local branch competition, she remembered and applied Norman’s words about the South Pacific Tree Lobster to her winning short answer question. At the statewide competition, Norman’s offhand comment about Oliver being “more reliable than a mule delivering mail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon” was the thirteenth mode of transportation Rita needed to take the title.

Rita’s ability to remember things from life and living, rather than something written in a book, are a direct result of her choosing to live out her dreams as Theresa originally encouraged.

As the reigning Miss Colorado Special Delivery, Rita’s growth shifted to more personal and relational moving forward. Between her enhanced wardrobe and her improved confidence, she started to open up to people, like telling Shane about how she and Norman met, and telling the little girl in For Christmas about why owls are so special to her.  In For Christmas and From Paris with Love, we see Rita become more open and comfortable with herself, even capturing Ramon Rodriguez’s eye, much to Norman’s displeasure.

But it was there in that quiet and honest moment reading Shane’s letter, and explaining to Norman why Shane left, that Rita fulfilled that last bit of Theresa’s advice. Rather than shying away from Norman’s question about Ramon, she answered it and bravely declared her love for Norman as well.

Rita's journey is no doubt far from over, but she has come quite a long way from the Rita we met in the Pilot. From learning that life is so much better than fiction, to finally finding the courage to tell Norman how she truly feels, she reminds us that being intentional about living life can lead to big moments and achieving the desires of our heart. Here are a few of Rita's big moments:

Who knows how bright we can shine until we try? For Rita,  it all started by taking Theresa's advice!

Makes you want to go out and be brave, too, doesn't it?


Ready to Board the Next Banana Boat,
~C

Houes Rules: Introduction | Rita | Norman | Shane | Oliver