Month: May 2009

The Joy of Waiting

~ revweisass ~ 1 Comment

So often I hear the experience of waiting described as hell, as agony, as the most distressing aspect of getting to something.  In the book I am reading right now, for example, the protagonist describes the moments before a cross country race as the worst part of his running experience, worse even than the pain of sprinting through six miles, of choking and gasping for breath at the end of it all.  Many others describe how waiting seems to drag on forever–children watching the clock for the bell to ring, college grads waiting for the results of a test or interview.  In my case, there is a lot of waiting to be had these days, but I find that, rather than dreading the wait, I have been basking in this in-between time of sorts, for it has allowed me to, of all things, take a moment of pause and to return to some of the simple things that give me joy.  

As I wait for, variously, graduation, a job, and my marriage, I find that I am more than content to indulge three of my favored (and often neglected) habits–reading, cooking, and running.  It is truly interesting to me, in fact, to discover how quickly the joy of some of these pursuits returns, for it was seldom to never the case that I would pick up a book for fun during my studies.  And yet, less than twenty four hours after my FINAL final I found myself devouring fiction like I had been starving these last few years.  I am beginning even to resent the reality that i will soon be far removed from my beloved Harvard library system, wherein my heart’s desire could be mine within hours, as long as it wasn’t already in use.

The gym has been a similar experience.  Sure, I have been diligent in going to the gym throughout my time at school, but my free schedule has allowed me to explore new things, to push myself in ways that my former time limitations couldn’t and wouldn’t allow.  I have tried two-a-days, for example, and find that I rather enjoy the burn.  It also doesn’t hurt to have access to a nicely subsidized Harvard Wellness Center that offers lovely massage services!

Finally, I have had time to indulge some of my sillier habits with regards to cooking, which I must say has been wonderful.  I am back to making granola again, which is hands down the best breakfast I can imagine.  Furthermore, I have the luxury of listening to my gut rather than planning around classes and travel–in other words, I eat when I am hungry, which is infinitely more satisfying.

As an aside, all this time to read and think has been good for my Spirit– I have found myself more open to exploring some ideas that I didn’t previously have time for, not only reading pursuits but also theological and pedagogical interests.  I have been thinking about sermons more, for instance, and it feels good to be creative.

Reason, Faith and Revolution

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I just had to share Stanley Fish’s latest entry over at NYTimes entitled “God Talk.”  In it, he gives an overview of Terry Eagleton’s latest book, “Reason, Faith, and Revolution,” which seems to be a faithful Christian’s response to what Fish calls “the shallow arguments of school-yard atheists like Hitchens and Dawkins,” whom he refers to as “Ditchkins.”  I will leave you all to check it out for yourselves, but I am interested to see Eagleton’s book.  It appears that it might be an interesting and thought-provoking reflection on the meaning of faith for those of us who choose to put our trust in God first.

I wish I May

~ revweisass ~ 6 Comments

So MAYYYY-be I haven’t been the most bloggerific or blogtastic of bloggers lately; I must admit that blogging hasn’t even really been on my radar screen lately. There has just been so much else to worry about–getting (or more realistically NOT) a job, finishing classes, trying to battle a pernicious tendency of mine to procrastinate where finals are concerned, planning (or rather, NOT) a wedding, and more. It has been a whirlwind these past few weeks, and I am just now getting to a place where I can stop, breathe, and remember that, once upon a time, I wrote stuff on an online blog thingy.

But all is not lost, for there is certainly much to think about. As I have been contemplating a move back across the country following graduation and up until the wedding, I have begun to consider what life after seminary might look like. This has been fun, sometimes exciting, at moments frightening, but definitely interesting. For example, I have found myself thinking fondly of all the time I will have and all the BOOKS will be able to pick up that AREN’T homework. So far, I have a decent idea of what i might read, which includes:

-anything by Christopher Moore
-The Last Temptation of Christ
-Lovely Bones
-anything by Toni Morrison
-anything by Barbara Kingsolver
-anything by Chuck Palahnuik
-Dow Mossman’s Stones of Summer

Of course, this list could be much improved… and so I turn to you, my blog-tastic friends with the question: what to read when the weather turns warm and school is no more?

Actually, any ideas about cool things to fall into when school is out would be much appreciated; this is my first summer in memory where there is nothing academic in the fall, so I feel pretty wide open. I could do anything, really, so lets hear some ideas.