Friday, February 25, 2011

Yes, I Am A Hypocrite

Today, to my panic-inducing horror, I noticed that my local Borders is closing. Upon arriving home, devasted and with a crushed spirit, I researched the insanity. I got the full story here. I am not alone in my perils. Over 200 Borders stores are closing, most-likely due to recently unloyal customers like myself.

Truly, I think it is a pity that we live in such an age of technological abundance, and while I have had my muffled of-a-whim worries before, this is the first time I have ever been seriously distraught over the absolute power that technology holds over our society. Amidst the Nook, the Kindle, and Amazon itself, bookstores are being made obsolete. Borders can only be the first of many. The beauty of wandering around a bookstore, reading, browsing, and smelling all the wonderful new books for hours on end is slowly being effaced from our world, and it makes me want to cry.

But I am not above this travesty. Nay, I have contributed to it most generously. While I do not own a book-belittling device such as the Kindle because I still cherish being able to hold an actual bound book in my hands, admire the covers, physically turn the pages, and see how far along I am by glancing at the dog-earred section, I am an avid Amazon shopper. (I've turned completely over for digital music, but I hope I never totally give into the surge of ebooks). 

As much as it saddens me deep down, I buy books offline like crazy - because honestly, why would I pay over $20 for a book from Borders when I could get it from Amazon for half the price (or sometimes much less) plus a little shipping (and sometimes not even that if it's under my Prime), and get to share in the excitement of getting a package in the mail? Some of those cheap books from Amazon are even new, and if they're not, they have their own little history, and that's interesting. Not to mention, Amazon has like, everything. The only element that is truly lost, the browsing atmosphere, is even apparently much more easily relinquished than one would think, for a cheap book-hoarder like me. I'll admit it, though I'm not proud.

I just have to pray that something miraculous occurs, and the novelty (ha, did you catch that?) of book stores will hit again, before the sad fate Borders becomes typical. Or, maybe their new plan will work and they will be able to salvage themselves before all hope is lost. Whatever the outcome, I will probably always be a devoted Amazon shopper, even though a world without bookstores would just be..downright scary, for many reasons. So I guess I have proved my post title right. In my perfect reality, I would have bookstores to go into whenever I felt the desire, to simply look in, and then go home and buy the books for cheap off Amazon. Yes, I am a hypocrite, and I give Borders a sincere apology. I wish you the best, my former favorite bookstore!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Beautiful Creation

Molded in your hands, I am.
Shaped to your perfection,
My body curved by the will of your hand
In every direction.

Taking very special care,
You counted out the hairs on my head,
And you carved out my mouth,
Painting my lips a subtle red.

You put the dimples in my cheeks,
And the color in my eyes.
Measured out my forehead,
Made my nose the perfect size.

You squeezed my hands into form
By holding them in your own,
Making me in your image,
You promised to never leave me alone.

You gave my hips their curve,
 Pulled out my legs and feet,
And prepared the way for me to go,
 For the world I was to meet

Then You lit the fire of your love inside me,
Excited to watch me grow.
You waited for me to accept your son,
And Right on time, you finally led me to know:
How beautiful your creation is.
How much you love me so.
How brilliant it will be, when I return home.

Even though I may not understand it at first,
You will give me all the love you’ve got,
And carry me through my worst.

For, You sent me a savior,
That shed his blood to forgive,
Just so You can be certain
That your immaculate creation will live.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I've Decided to Convert to Monogamy

For a long time now, I have been very unsettled – unable to find my thing. Most everyone out there has a thing, whether they know it or not. Some people’s things are simply beautiful like baking or quilting. Others have things that have shaped their careers, like professional sport-players, celebrities (a worthy few can be excluded), photographers, or journalists. Others still have things that they use solely to escape from reality, like Xbox junkies or romance-novel collectors. Then you have the people who use their things to bring them inner-peace, like hikers or yoga-fanatics. Further still, you have the obsessive-types who at one point in time had lives, but then let their things run away with them, like serious dog-show competitors or mimes. I’m just kidding, I really like mimes – they are so uncanny. But whatever the case, not only is everyone’s thing born from what they love, but also from their talent. This is where I’ve had some issues. The two (what I love and what I’m good at), for me, have never meshed. Or, I simply couldn’t pin down what it was, exactly, that I loved.
I’ve always been alright at writing. English has always been one of my better subjects in school, and the assignments I always got the most praise for were things I had written. I’ve had family and friends tell me I’m a good writer, and for all of my life I have adored reading, which almost all authors claim is what brought them to their craft. Typically, when people find they are really good at something, they do it. They do it because they like the reaction they get, and in most cases they will get paid the most to do it, thus, if you plug all the variables into the formula, they love what they’re good at doing. Me, though, well I’m just really stubborn.
For years I have considered other hobbies, or things, even though I knew that I was destined to be a writer. I’ve had affairs with other unsuitable passions and have been nothing but disappointed. And so, in order to use the talent God gave me to serve Him in the way for which He equipped me best, and to become the person He always knew me to be, I hereby declare that I am entering into a fully monogamous relationship with my thing. I am a writer. Not an actress, fashion designer, dollhouse maker, baker, singer, film-maker, or Amish culture expert (don’t ask), I’m who God made me to be. And, get this, I accept it.