It's funny how plans we make often fall by the wayside. We start out with lots of good intentions, firmly resolved to follow through...only to have it all collapse, like a house of cards when someone bumps the table.
Recently, I started up an on-line book club. Using the facilities available through Facebook, I managed to rope in a few fellow book enthusiasts, each of whom were keen to not only read something, but then discuss and dissect it. Considering some of the participants were girls/women I went to high school with (and hadn't had a lot of contact with since then), an old college mate, and the sister-in-law of one my of school friends (whom I have never met), the initiative had a lot of promise.
Reflecting my penchant for plays on words, I dubbed the on-line group The Last Saturday of the Month (Face) Book Club. As the title suggests, we would converge, on line, on the last Saturday in each month; we would come together via Facebook; and we would 'chat' about whatever particular book we had chosen.
Our first chat took place on a Thursday! There were difficulties with everyone being able to log in. The 'process' by which discussion would take place was somewhat haphazard. We all seemed keen and had the best of intentions but there were plenty of teething problems.
We have now read a second novel, this entitled Let's Talk About Kevin. The last Saturday in November has come and well and truly gone. Cyberspace has gone quiet with the output from our members. So, is it worth it?
Absolutely! For me, the on-line book club is not so much about the destination, but rather the journey. It's not about whether we take roll-call and everyone takes part. The book club is about 'connecting', about sharing an experience that, for however long it takes to read a common book, unites us all.
There all manner of reasons why things don't go the way we think they will. As John Lennon famously declared: "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans!" We all get busy, we all get distracted. It's what we make such busy-ness and such distraction mean that is important. If we get too hung up on the deadlines and the obligations, we miss out on the journey and the joy.
For me, opening up a page, on a book that I know Lindsay, or Annie, or Andrew or Vanessa, may also be opening up, is humbling and exciting. In that moment, I am 'connected' to them, no matter what part of the world, at whatever time of day or night. And in those moments of 'connection', I am reminded of what it means to be truly part of the human race: it is the things that unite us that are more important than those that divide us.
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Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Cleaning out can be a gentle process
Yesterday, Celena and I bought a vacuum cleaner. Not an exciting acquisition, I grant you (despite the manufacturer's claim to have created a machine that will make cleaning the floors "a joy") but, for far too long, we have had to rely on borrowing one from the in-laws, so it certainly marks the gaining of a certain independence on our part.
That vacuum cleaner will play a significant part in our life in the future. It's not a surrogate child and we don't anticipate a sense of quivering anticipation as we assemble it and plug it into the nearby wall. As for joyfulness - well, one shouldn't expect too much! But it will certainly become a useful tool in our efforts to keep our house and car clean and presentable.
In recent weeks, I have realised that I have developed a tendency to take many of my worldly possessions for granted. I don't clean the car as often as I think I should. Windows become streaked, dust accumulates on bookshelves and shoes are scuffed and rubbed through a lack of being polished regularly. It's not that I don't want to attend to such matters - I just always seem to find something more enjoyable or more rewarding to do.
That's why our purchase of a vacuum cleaner is so important. It's fine to want to ascend the heights and experience thrill of a 'mountain top' experience...but we eventually have to come down and spend some time in the valley. What I am realising is that, in our lives today, there are chores to be completed, tasks to be tended too, priorities to be pondered. Performing the mundane duties of running a house is all part and parcel of our greater mandate to build an eternal kingdom.
The actual quote escapes me for the moment but I know the Bible has a lot to say about doing the small things in life with passion and conviction. It's where the story of the servants and the talents comes in. But while we typically think of this as relating to our personal gifts, I actually now appreciate it for the message it offers me as the owner of one property and the tenant of another.
And if a vacuum cleaner is going to the start of my conversion on the road to cleanliness and self-discipline, then I - and Celena - will give thanks to God...and turn it on!
Read more...
That vacuum cleaner will play a significant part in our life in the future. It's not a surrogate child and we don't anticipate a sense of quivering anticipation as we assemble it and plug it into the nearby wall. As for joyfulness - well, one shouldn't expect too much! But it will certainly become a useful tool in our efforts to keep our house and car clean and presentable.
In recent weeks, I have realised that I have developed a tendency to take many of my worldly possessions for granted. I don't clean the car as often as I think I should. Windows become streaked, dust accumulates on bookshelves and shoes are scuffed and rubbed through a lack of being polished regularly. It's not that I don't want to attend to such matters - I just always seem to find something more enjoyable or more rewarding to do.
That's why our purchase of a vacuum cleaner is so important. It's fine to want to ascend the heights and experience thrill of a 'mountain top' experience...but we eventually have to come down and spend some time in the valley. What I am realising is that, in our lives today, there are chores to be completed, tasks to be tended too, priorities to be pondered. Performing the mundane duties of running a house is all part and parcel of our greater mandate to build an eternal kingdom.
The actual quote escapes me for the moment but I know the Bible has a lot to say about doing the small things in life with passion and conviction. It's where the story of the servants and the talents comes in. But while we typically think of this as relating to our personal gifts, I actually now appreciate it for the message it offers me as the owner of one property and the tenant of another.
And if a vacuum cleaner is going to the start of my conversion on the road to cleanliness and self-discipline, then I - and Celena - will give thanks to God...and turn it on!
Read more...
Friday, December 10, 2010
Have I Found What I'm Looking For?
The sounds of Larry Mullen Jr's pounding drums, Adam Clayton's thumping bass guitar, Edge's soaring keyboard and Bono's empassioned vocals are still ringing in my ears. Twice this past week, I had the privilege - and pleasure - of seeing U2 perform at Suncorp Stadium. My head is full of snatches of lyrics and my heart is bursting with the power evident in these two shows.
The first night, I was accompanied by Celena. The train trip home was marked by Celena sharing her insights and responses to the concert. Once home, she was suitably inspired to write an editorial piece, about her reaction to the experience, and showed it to me as we were getting ready for bed. I was struck by her eloquence and her perspective on many aspects of the concert that either I missed or had failed to consider. For instance, Celena came away with a renewed appreciation of the Biblical imagery used by Bonon in the song Until the End of the World.
On the second night, I played hooky from my squash team and purchased a cheap ticket to revisit the glory of the first concert. Watching U2, and the mesmerising light and stage show that marked the 360 Degree Tour, on my own, was a reminder of my childhood days, and the independence I enjoyed as the eldest of six children. I was flying solo but I never felt alone.
Like a good wine, U2 is a band that can be savoured, tasted and devoured on one's own or you can share the experience with others who appreciate the different vintages. You're a fan of the early stuff they produced? No problem, there's a hit in the show for you - perhaps a good drop of "New Year's Day". Or maybe you prefer the labels that represent U2's commercial success? Something off the Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby? Maybe the buzz and energy of the song written for one of the Batman movies, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kill Me, Kiss Me? Maybe something of more recent production, a song that, given time to breathe, can capture your senses with its beauty and simplicity?
For me, two songs that captured the magic of these two shows were Magnificent (Wednesday night) and Bad (Thursday night). With these two songs, Bono reached into my broken heart and poured a salve over the gaping wounds. The lyrics, the arrangements, the production...all combined to remind me that, even in the midst of grief, it is important to find occasions, and reasons, to celebrate. Otherwise, why go on?
Somewhat poignantly, the latter of these two songs was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, whose life and death cast both inspiration and sadness over the two concerts. If Bono could lead the way, to show that there is indeed life after death, who was I to argue? Ok Bono, you've convinced me - I Will Follow!
Read more...
The first night, I was accompanied by Celena. The train trip home was marked by Celena sharing her insights and responses to the concert. Once home, she was suitably inspired to write an editorial piece, about her reaction to the experience, and showed it to me as we were getting ready for bed. I was struck by her eloquence and her perspective on many aspects of the concert that either I missed or had failed to consider. For instance, Celena came away with a renewed appreciation of the Biblical imagery used by Bonon in the song Until the End of the World.
On the second night, I played hooky from my squash team and purchased a cheap ticket to revisit the glory of the first concert. Watching U2, and the mesmerising light and stage show that marked the 360 Degree Tour, on my own, was a reminder of my childhood days, and the independence I enjoyed as the eldest of six children. I was flying solo but I never felt alone.
Like a good wine, U2 is a band that can be savoured, tasted and devoured on one's own or you can share the experience with others who appreciate the different vintages. You're a fan of the early stuff they produced? No problem, there's a hit in the show for you - perhaps a good drop of "New Year's Day". Or maybe you prefer the labels that represent U2's commercial success? Something off the Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby? Maybe the buzz and energy of the song written for one of the Batman movies, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kill Me, Kiss Me? Maybe something of more recent production, a song that, given time to breathe, can capture your senses with its beauty and simplicity?
For me, two songs that captured the magic of these two shows were Magnificent (Wednesday night) and Bad (Thursday night). With these two songs, Bono reached into my broken heart and poured a salve over the gaping wounds. The lyrics, the arrangements, the production...all combined to remind me that, even in the midst of grief, it is important to find occasions, and reasons, to celebrate. Otherwise, why go on?
Somewhat poignantly, the latter of these two songs was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, whose life and death cast both inspiration and sadness over the two concerts. If Bono could lead the way, to show that there is indeed life after death, who was I to argue? Ok Bono, you've convinced me - I Will Follow!
Read more...
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