Are you famous?

One of the many good things about having to rely on outside internet connections is that it has motivated me to check out different coffee shops in the area. My standby is Panera, since it is very close to where I live, and the atmosphere is almost always conducive to writing. One of my other favorites is the Frothy Monkey, which I discovered my first day here in Nashville. However, since it is quite close to Belmont University, it can get really crowded with students, especially on days off, weekends, and evenings.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, I had the day off and decided to explore a part of Nashville that I hadn't been to yet: East Nashville. I had heard from a number of people that this is the artsy, eclectic area of Nashville where many musicians and artists live. It definitely has a more hipster feel, with a focus on organic living and community activism. There are a variety of shops, restaurants and bars sprouting up there, in additional to a few coffee shops.

I stumbled upon a coffeeshop called 'Bongo Java'. I believe that it is a coffee roasting company, and they have branches throughout Nashville. This one had a very artsy feel, and I could just imagine that the some of the other customers in their skinny jeans, flannel shirts, and square glasses were planning their next big gig. It was fun to imagine what 'famous people' might be in my midst. Or at least up and coming famous people.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking this. As I was sitting at my table close to the wall, typing busily away on my laptop, two older men in their 60s at the table across from me both turned and were staring at the wall next to me.

My immediate reaction was to glance back in their direction. One of them noticed that I was looking their way, and said to me, "Oh, don't worry! We aren't looking at you. We are looking at those photographs on the wall." I looked up at the wall at the series of photos that lined the cafe - apparently an exhibition of a photographer.

"Oh that's okay!" I said nonchalantly.

Suddenly, the one man at the table noticed my fast typing and asked with much interest, "Are you a famous writer??"

I laughed and said "Oh, no." (Maybe someday, I thought to myself).

"Oh," the man said, a little disappointed.

"Well," he ventured, "are you writing something interesting?"

"No, unfortunately not," I answered. I was just writing a message, not even an interesting blog post.

Suddenly I thought maybe I should reciprocate the question. "Are YOU a famous writer?" I asked the man.

He smiled and shook his head. "Nah."

His friend eagerly cut in, "But he's a famous photographer!"

"Really?" I said excitedly.

"Well, not yet," the other man answered a little sheepishly.

I have often heard that Nashville is a gathering place for musicians, and not just country musicians, but musicians of every genre. I think it is also a gathering place for other types of creatively-minded people, from artists to writers. There is a creative energy here that really permeates the air and a laid-back culture which values good entertainment and artistic achievement.

It's neat because it really does mean than you don't know who you might run into. Even in little coffee shops, you get a distinct sense of it being a community gathering place for artists. Sometimes they are famous. And sometimes they are not famous yet.

To artists

Spring by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, 1890

"To have an art at your finger tips and in your mind, as you have, is a trust; you are meant to develop and use it, partly because it is only by doing so that you can fully integrate your own personality - and that is another way of saying 'save your soul' - and partly because you must give to the world, to the millions who are starved for beauty, the beauty that God has given into your trust for that purpose..."

~ Caryll Houselander, (From the Letters of Caryll Houselander)

Saints who eat bon-bons?

I would guess that most of you who read my blog at least know who Mother Angelica is, the sister who started ETWN.

She is hilarious.

In my extra time that I have found at home without internet, I have been reading snippets in the book "Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality." It is delightful.

She has some amazing insights that have really spoken to me, about suffering, the cross, and the holiness of everyday life. She speaks with her characteristic dry wit throughout, and some of her entries are more humorous in theme. I wanted to share this one in particular with you, because it literally made me laugh out loud. My favorite part is the very beginning. If you have seen Mother Angelica, you can just hear her saying this.

flickr/by carabou

"I like to sit in bed, eating bon-bons, and reading the mortified lives of the saints. When I was a young novice, I used to flip through those biographies looking for someone like me.

I need nine hours of sleep a day. The medication I take requires me to eat seven times a day. I like air conditioning and comfortable chairs. I went through all of the lives of the saints and I couldn't find one like me.

But then I came to the conclusion that the saints weren't the problem, it was their biographers. I've often said that I wish every biographer of every saint, who did not depict the truth, would go to purgatory for forty years, because they have made the saints unreal. You'd swear these people were holy when they were conceived, after reading one of these accounts. But it's not true. The saints would be the first to tell you: they struggled like you do. They ate, and drank, and slept, and were frustrated, and victims of injustice. They were like you! Can you imagine emptying heaven now and putting all the saints in a big arena? They would look just like you do now: fat and skinny, young and old. They had their faults and eccentricities. They bugged people. It takes a saint to live with one. Every Christian is supposed to bug someone. That's what the saints did."

Blogger without the internet

I am currently a blogger without a home interner connection. Is that an oxymoron?

I decided to hold off on getting internet connection, since when I inquired, Comcast estimated that the cheapest option for me would be $50/a month. With all of the other moving expenses (and now car expenses) that I have recently incurred, I decided that for the time being, it wouldn't be the most prudent idea for me to spend that on the internet.

Besides, that means that I would have to go to cafes, coffeeshops, or restaurants in order to use the internet for leisure. Granted, when you add up all of the drinks and snack items that I have (will) end up buying, it could get pretty pricey in itself, but it's a good way for me to get out of my house on the weeknights and weekends, potentially meet other coffeeshop junkies, and just be more social than just hole-ling away in my house on the internet.

I have to admit, at first I was a little bit skeptical about how this arrangement would work. After all, since I was 12 years old and my family first got the internet at our house, I always had the option to get online at the click of a mouse. (Although, during though first few years it was ridiculously slow, back in the days of "dial-up" connection!)

But although I do miss the convenience of having the internet available to me whenever I want to look something up, check the hours of a restaurant, or get in touch with someone, I actually have really, really enjoyed many aspects about being internetless.

Most of all, I have enjoyed being detached from the "noise" of the internet, which can (for someone undisciplined like myself) can be a constant distraction. I should mention too, that by opting out of the internet, I am also opting out of a cable package. I do get a handful of digital channels on my tv, but they really are not interesting enough to watch except for the weather channel here and there.

I have...
1) Gotten to bed earlier. Without e-mail to check or new websites to explore for "just a few minutes" which turns into hours...when it's bedtime, it's bedtime
2) Read real, tangible books more. I have already checked-out an array of some dozen books from the library where I work. When all is quiet in my apartment and I have some leisure time, I have been able to pick up any one of these books and get lost in the pages. I am particularly enjoying Flannery O'Connor's "Mystery and Manners" right now.
3) Prayed more. When there is no internet around to check, I am more likely to reach for my Magnificat or other spiritual reading, and to savor the quiet time in prayer.
4)Used my infrequent internet time wisely. When you are limited to internet time for an hour or two at a coffeeshop, you are more likely to just get done the things you need or want to get done, rather than dilly-dallying and putzing around.
5) Get excited about real mail. I have no e-mail or Facebook to check when I get home in the evenings, so opening my mailbox is more entertaining than it used to be. (Especially when I actually get letters!) I am sincerely hoping that I can translate my interest in writing letters into actually writing letters. I got a handful of Christmas cards mailed a few weeks ago. I guess that's a start.
6) Have more time to reach out to people in other ways, whether it is by phone or in person.
7) Have more time!

I don't know that I will stay internetless forever, but for now, I am recognizing and appreciating the benefits of living a lifestyle without home internet access. And realizing that having internet access at home isn't necessarily essential for me right now.

Granted, I should probably mention that not having internet access will probably have minor effects on my blog. Don't worry, I fully intend to keep my blog up and running, and hopefully continue to increase content and readership! However, it is likely that my posting during the week will be more sporadic than my posting on the weekends. But when I have more "coffeeshop" time, I will be writing away...perhaps featuring a few new additions per day.

Check back often!

Unsettled yet settled

Perhaps as can be expected, my comfort level living here in Nashville goes in waves. One day I feel happy to be here, more-and-more acclimated, and full of serenity about my new life here in Nashville. The next day (which happens to be today), I feel confused, unsettled, and out of place. I think that because I have moved so many times in the past 7 years, as much as I want to get "settled" and put down roots, I am scared to, because of the vulnerability it takes to go out of my comfort zone and meet new people. I know that I must take heart in the fact that God has led me here, though, and I will slowly get more "settled" here in good time. Unfortunately, living in a "instantaneous" world, it would be a lot more comfortable if this happened instantaneously. But for now I will try to savor the joys and grow from the challenges.

After all, being "unsettled", in a metaphysical sense, isn't so bad after all. For if we are "settled" in this world alone, we are unlikely to seek heaven as our true home. We need to use our "unsettledness" within the world in order to settle in the Lord, to nestle close to His heart.

As a (at least formerly) nomadic young adult, I have been trying to pray this prayer and rest in it's truth:

* ~ "My home is in His heart" ~ *

The Blind Side and the kindness of strangers

Last weekend I watched the movie "The Blind Side", starring Sandra Bullock. I had heard a lot of good times about this movie, but I was skeptical about how good it would actually be. I mean, let's be honest, after awhile all of the inspirational sports films have the same plot with a slightly different slant. There is an underdog, no one thinks he is going to make the team, he does, proves everyone wrong, and wins the championship. Viola! There you have it.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised at that a) The Blind Side doesn't follow this plot as closely as other sports movies, and b) the way that this movie truly touched and inspired me.

I won't give a detailed summary of the movie here, you can go to wikipedia or look at the back cover of the movie for that. But the basic plot is that the affluent Tuohy family takes in a homeless African American teenager, Michael, giving him food, shelter, and most of all, the love of a family. Mrs. Tuohy showers Michael with kindness, compassion, and most importantly, a confidence in him that helps him blossom as a student, and as a football player. The story chronicles the Tuohy's relationship with Michael, the beautiful way they change his life forever, and more importantly, the way he changes theirs. The movie is based on a true story of one of the Baltimore Ravens (Michael Oher); in the movie Michael becomes a star football player and eventually lands a scholarship to Ole Miss.

This movie brought me to tears several times. I think with any good film, one is able to pick up something different out of the story and identify it with their own life. I was particularly able to identify with this movie because it was set in Memphis, Tennessee, my new home state. And although I don't rub noses with them everyday, I have definitely become more familiar with the affluent areas and people of this area -- the Southern mansions, manners, and lifestyle, such as the Tuohy's are part of.

That's a minor aspect though. The thing about this movie that truly touched me was how it illustrated the transformative power of the kindness of strangers. The Tuohy family barely knew Michael at all when they invited him into their home. Yet Mrs. Tuohy stepped out in risk and vulnerability to offer him the love and compassion which he so desperately needed. She had no previous connection with him, other than she had seen him around school. She was not obligated in anyway to interact with him. Yet she saw his need. She reached out to him. And she loved him, as her own son.

Mrs. Tui's hospitality touched me deeply because of my current move to Nashville, a town where I knew no one, and still know just a handful of people. As a "stranger in a strange land" the kindness of strangers has meant the world to me. Even simply someone smiling and asking with genuine concern, "How are you?" has turned moments of feeling alone and overwhealmed to bringing a rush of comfort over me.

There have been a few people in particular who have truly looked after me; making sure I feel welcome, opening their homes and hearts to me in friendship. One older woman at Mass always makes a point to acknowledge me, wave, touch my shoulder on her way to Communion, or in one amusing moment, give me the thumbs up at the sign of peace. For the new girl in town, these little gestures of concern have made me feel not-so-alone, just when I need it most.

Yet there is nothing that dictates these people go out of their way to acknowldege or affirm me. We have no prior connection. They could just continue on their merry way, and we would simply remain distant aquaintences. Yet these people have stepped out in charity and selflessness to show me hospitality and compassion.

Like Mrs. Tuohy, the thing that touches me most is their loving perception.

Mrs. Tuohy noticed.

She noticed, and then she immediately reached out.

These new friends here in Nashville have noticed. They have taken the time to percieve my loneliness, my discombobulation, my longing for friendship and have reached out to me in love. For this I am eternally grateful.

"When I was a stranger, you welcomed me." (Matthew 25:45)

Words for today

"You must try to never forget that God would not allow...you...to suffer the least fraction that he did not know not to merely be the best way to your ultimate joy, but the essential condition of it, and the only way to it."

~ Caryll Houselander, Letters to Mrs. Boardman (from the book "The Letters of Caryll Houselander)

~ * May you know that His will is your peace, even through your biggest crosses this day. * ~