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I just read Persuasion for the first time. I’d seen the movie long ago, but the fun of reading Anne and Frederick through the maze with a certain end was satisfying. More importantly, I didn’t remember some of the side characters from movie versions. What will happen to Captain B? Will Henrietta marry her cousin? (And should I feel bad that I’m rooting for something likely to produce children without earlobes?) These are the questions that kept me turning pages right to the mostly anticipated finale. I am grateful that movies (and worse, Wishbone) are too short to include the complete stories of classics.
Clarification: I am someone who would be labeled an introvert. I am writing from my own experience and no one else’s. If I were more energized by being with people, I’m sure that could be warped by sin, too, and I’d write about that.
I suspect that what I call “introversion” is actually just plain old-fashioned selfishness coupled with laziness. Don’t get me wrong; I believe that there is value in solitude and that it can be pursued with healthy motives. I don’t think all “extroverted” people are holier or more genuinely loving than “introverts.” That said, here’s what I wonder:
If I don’t love the people I don’t know well, is it because they aren’t doing anything for me (selfishness) or because it takes effort to get to know them (laziness)? Do I dread rooms full of new people because I can’t predict or manipulate them? If I really saw the people around me as image-bearers of God and recipients of the love that Christ has poured out in my heart, would I really be an “introvert?”
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WordPress just alerted me that demonstrate is a “complex expression” and then suggested I use show or prove instead. I felt insulted on your behalf, dear readers.
pneumonia” -#5
Update: It has been brought to my attention that this post gave some people the idea that #5 has contracted pneumonia. For the record, she hasn’t. I was simply trying to demonstrate her quirky sense of humor. She slipped in the Regan-ism (as opposed to a Reagan-ism, which is what #3 would have used) at the perfect moment. And with clear lungs.
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your church cancels all mid-week activities and services because of rain.
Filed under: family
#3 attempted to illustrate the relationship in the folk song “I’m my own Grandpa” to a friend.
My not-quite-two nephew says “beepbeepbeepbeepbeep” when backing up- whether he’s scooting back in the tub or running backward in the living room or maneuvering back to get something he dropped. It’s so far past cute that there aren’t adjectives for it.
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-On separate trips, I traveled to Charleston, SC and Virginia/Maryland. So began a love for Charleston and an acquaintance with my boyfriend’s clan.
-My family experienced a Rook resurgence. So began many a fight.
-I discovered new authors: Wendell Berry, Marilynne Robinson, Annie Dillard, E.F. Benson, Edith Wharton. So began years of fun reading, I hope.
-In February, my mom mentioned a traveling OT who had visited her church. I thought that sounded lonely and asked for the young woman’s phone number to invite her kayaking. She agreed, even though she’d never met me or been in a kayak. So began a beautiful friendship.
-My closest friend from childhood had a baby in February. So began a wonderful new chapter.
-JP (finally) asked me out on Easter. So began many nights of playing Rook (see above) and foisting books (see above) on this poor guy. So also began my knowledge of bobcats, reindeer, and Virginia Tech.
-Thanks to the traveling OT (see above), I ate sushi after saying I wouldn’t. Thanks to JP (see above), I ate Pho. So began a new love for ethnic food.
-I reached some sort of critical mass of teaching grammar. So began my inwardly wincing whenever a preposition dangles at the end of a sentence.
-I started teaching Singapore math. So began a new enjoyment of math.
-I paddleboarded for the first time and loved it. So began nothing so far, but I’d love to do it again.
-My fairy godmother suggested that I teach cooking classes at her house. So began a very satisfying summer, and a love of helping young people cook.
Good-bye, 2009. You were full of good beginnings!
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My votes go to Coldplay’s and Pixar’s hits.
