Nerd alert – Middle age is the point at which the time rate of change in health is zero.
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Frankenstein
I recently finished Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein. The story was quite different from what I expected. I’ve seen so many Hollywoodizations of the story and seen so many cameo appearances of Frankenstein’s monster in other films that I expected something quite different. Rather than a square-headed, shambling, mono-syllabic zombie, the creature was nimble, athletic, and cunning. More surprising, (after learning to speak by eavesdropping on a cottage of political refugees for a summer) he turned out to be the most eloquent and persuasive speaker in the whole story.
Where did all that stuff about massive laboratory instrumentation and lightning striking a raised hospital gurney come from? Each new movie portrayal added another layer of debris that obscured the real story.
Have you had a similar experience in your reading? What book surprised you when you read it?
A Unique Blend
Last week I talked about blending different chili recipes to come up with a new flavor. I realized I do something like this with my reading choices. I’ve always got two or three books going. Different authors have characteristic flavors to their writing. Call it voice or style, or just their chosen subject matter. But it’s a unique essence that sets them apart. Tom Clancy for the cold-war politics, Michael Crichton for the science-out-to-get-you, Piers Anthony for the whimsical creativity, John Le Carré for the inevitable betrayal, Khaled Hosseini for the poignancy, William Gibson or Hugh Howie for their dark visions of tomorrow, Ursula K. Le Guin for the sheer poetry of her narrative.
Do you find yourself reading several books at a time? What’s your favorite blend of authors?
Chili Feed
The youth group at Camas Church of the Nazarene has a chili feed fund raiser every year. Whoever wants to contributes a crock pot of their favorite chili recipe. The smell is wonderful and stomachs are growling by the end of the morning service. Members of the youth group serve everyone sampler cups of every entry. Then people can go get a bowl of their favorite and cast their votes by putting money into the can next to their choice.
Each year, I go through the line and savor all the different spice and flavor combinations. I’m always amazed at the variety. I’ve thought about making up my own chili entry by simply taking portions of some of the others and blending them the way a coffee buyer makes a special blend: Three cups of this one because it’s spicier than the others, two cups of this one with a lot of tomato, one cup of that one because the green peppers add just the right zing, and a cup of this one because it’s a bit sweet. It would be fun to see what I could come up with.
Miles Down the Road
A moment’s distraction can carry a vehicle hundreds of yards.
A year’s distraction can carry us miles from our intended destination. And every year we move faster.
Where are you going right now? Are you aiming for where you want to end up?
Keeping us Humble
My son and I were driving to the store the other day. I yawned at the stop light.
“You’re radiating tired vibes,” my son said.
“Who me?” I asked. “I’m stimulating and vivacious.”
He shook his head. “How? By what?”
“By my quick wit and fascinating conversation.”
“Oh? Have you said anything?”
What has your son or daughter said or done recently to keep you humble? Leave a comment below.