Summer Running Streak- The Road Kill Report

Most of the things I see when I am running make me happy. On one of my regular loops I pass by a mailbox that is in the shape of a small green farm tractor. Another person has had trouble with kids shooting their mailbox so after repeatedly replacing it they finally just painted a red and white bulls-eye on it (still in it's pellet ridden condition), it has not been destroyed since. We often underestimate the power of humor. I also pass many friendly cows who always look up at me hoping I have brought hay. When it rained on one of my long runs recently I turned off my IPod so I could listen to the rain falling on the bright green corn field. It was loud enough that I had noticed the pattering sound above the music. These things make me smile.

However, these are dark times on the road. As the temperatures rises drivers are less friendly and they seem to be in a hurry. And there is much more road kill. On one lonely stretch of road I encountered a small dead frog. He was on his back, his white tummy belly-up. He wasn't flat and so as I ran along for the next few minutes I tried to discern the cause of his demise. My best guess is that he was picked up by a bird of prey, maybe a waterbird of some kind, and dropped onto the road. The little snake I saw the next day was completely flat. I have also recently seen smashed, crunched and flattened bunnies and tortoises. And there have been a few unfortunate birds that have flown too low and not fast enough.

One early,  dreary, overcast morning,  I ran down a long, straight stretch of Coit Road. As I began to approach the area where the subdivisions begin I was overtaken by a large black shadow. It was the shadow of a large bird. As I ran further I saw that the bird joined several other birds on the road ahead. They were turkey vultures. As I approached I could see that they were gathered around a dead rabbit. I think I "knew" this rabbit because I pass a rabbit there very often eating grass on the side of the road. I was sad. A van was approaching the vultures from the other way. As he neared the vultures they reluctantly hopped, walked, or flew into the field on the other side of the road but only about 10-15 feet away from the center of the road. The van went on its way but the vultures were watching me so they did not return to breakfast. Instead they creepily watched me as I ran by. I was also watching them. There were 6 of them and they had a solemn, sinister determination to return to their meal. I also felt as if I was being evaluated, "Can we take her, she's still alive but she's running so slow, she could drop at any moment?". I sensed they all came to some kind of psychic agreement, "we can wait", "we can always reconsider after we finish the rabbit".  I was running a 4 mile loop and unfortunately I saw a few more dead things along the way. On my way home I had to pass the turkey vultures again. As I approached, again they retreated to their farmland spot on the roadside. Again they watched me, heads turning as I ran by. And again I had that creepy feeling. I wanted to shout, "I'm not dead yet!".

picture from Oregon Natural Living web site.

I hated to look over at the remains of the rabbit but not unlike people driving by an accident I could not avert my eyes. Amazingly there was nothing to see. Not even a bone remained. There was just a small stain on the road where the innocent victim had been squashed.  This again gave me something to ponder as I ran onward, glancing back to make sure I wasn't followed! What happened to the bones? Vultures don't eat bones.

Back at my computer this was confirmed - see Turkey Vulture Facts here.  As always with a google search one thing leads to another and I was fascinated by a question posted on the site. Why do turkey vultures urinate on their legs? I know that you are curious about this as well, here is the answer:

The turkey vulture often directs its urine right onto its legs. This process, known as urohydrosis, serves two very important purposes.  On warm days, wetting the legs cools the vulture as the urine evaporates. (The vulture cannot sweat like us). In addition, this urine contains strong acids from the vulture's digestive system, which may kill any bacteria that remain on the bird's legs from stepping in its meal.

 

There was conflicting information on a different site. That site was Yahoo answers where people delight in contradicting each other. There is a bearded vulture that eats bones and is very good at it however, he does not live in North America.

It's possible some aggressive vulture flew off with the bones but then why were the others still there? Oh and I forgot to mention there were no longer 6 of them, now there were 8 vultures watching me run by.

So even on creepy vulture road kill days, there is something worthwhile to take away: some things to contemplate, a respect for the order of things with regard to life and death, and the sobering reminder that life is fragile, we are not in control. There are usually only a few "states" that I run in: the zoned out, contemplative state where I either pray or just think, the endorphin state where I get ideas and I am very happy, and the state of pain, fatigue, and misery.

Very rarely another state overtakes me, it is a creepy, sad, and wary state. It only occurs when I am alone and away from houses and people and also it mostly occurs when it is gloomy weather. This last state may be a result of living as a woman in the world knowing that I am most vulnerable alone. When I have those feelings or when I encounter dead animals on the road that make me sad I think to myself: "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me". And here again is another reason why I run. Overcoming the creepiness of vultures, the visual reality of death, the fear of being vulnerable in these small ways prepares me to confront these same issues in larger ways when needed.

Here is this week's running streak:

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Total
	3.06 33:11	1.70 17:58	4.06 43:21	1.08 9:57	3.05 33:51	3.04 34:19	4.52 49.08	20:52
June 3-9	3.34 38:33	1.04 11:47	4.33 47:01	2.29 26:09	6.06 1:07	2.01 22:23	4.22 46:29	23.30
June  10-16	2.14 25:27	1.56 16:57	2.60 29:33	7 miles 1:18:20	4.06 46:30	1.05 12:04	4.06 45:22	22.46 miles

Happy Running!

Quiet Sound and High-reactive Fury

For someone whose blog is titled "Sound and Fury" (or as Bailey calls it "Unsound and Furry") it may seem odd that I would read and embrace the book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". We all fall somewhere on a spectrum of personality traits. I probably fall on the Extrovert end of the spectrum. Yet I am an often unhappy and irritable extrovert. This book helped me understand my dissatisfaction with the extrovert life. On the personality tests and surveys, one of the key questions for establishing a person as an extrovert is that they are energized by being around people. Well I am absolutely energized by people and I am a big talker. The problem for me is that with too many people comes too much energy and too much talking. I prefer to think about what I am going to say before I say it but when I am around a large group of people I get caught up in the conversation and energy of the group and there is no way to know what I will say. In earlier years I would be disturbed by my chameleon-like qualities. I would hear myself saying things that I don't think I even meant. Not completely contradictory but more flip or off the cuff than I felt. It's like I get too wound up and then just blurt things out in an exaggerated way that later leaves me uncomfortable. I go home knowing I did not present my authentic self.  I also go home analyzing all snippets of conversation, remembering facial expression and "looks"  given by other people. I think this may be related to what Susan Cain refers to in her book as "highly reactive" personality or the sensitive personality.

Cain begins her book by showing us the historical change in our country from one that valued character to one that values personality. One example: "A popular 1899 manual called Character: The Grandest Thing in the World featured a timid shop girl who gave away her meager earnings to a freezing beggar, then rushed off before anyone could see what she'd done. Her virtue, the reader understood, derived not only from her generosity but also from her wish to remain anonymous...But by 1920, popular self-help guides had changed their focus from inner virtue to outer charm - "to know what to say and how to say it" as one manual put it."To create a personality is power", advised another".

She then points out the many repercussions of this shift in perspective. Cain says "We live with a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal - the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight...We like to think that we value individuality... but all too often we admire one type of individual-the kind whose comfortable 'putting himself out there'".

In the book, the analogy is made that "Introverts living under the Extrovert Ideal are like women in a man's world, discounted because of a trait that goes to the core of who they are".

Cain discusses how our society's elevation of extrovert characteristics have shaped corporate structure, workplace environments, school curriculum and even church activities and programs. Cain believes it is a mistake to set up work, school and worship environments in such a way as to appeal to one type of personality while virtually alienating another (and in some cases more valuable) personality type. Cain points out that "without introverts the world would be devoid of the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, Chopin's nocturnes, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, The Cat in the Hat, Charlie Brown, Schindler's List, E.T., Google and Harry Potter."

Cain makes a distinction between shyness and introversion: "Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating." Later in the book she says," Many introverts are also "highly sensitive", which sounds poetic, but is actually a technical term in psychology. If you are a sensitive sort, they you're more apt than the average person to feel pleasantly overwhelmed by Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" or a well-turned phrase or an act of extraordinary kindness. You may be quicker than others to feel sickened by violence and ugliness, and you likely have a very strong conscience." These are the parts of the book that sound like me. I discussed in a previous post that I nearly cried when I saw "The King's Speech" because it was so well acted and so well written.

"Quiet' contains a great deal of intriguing research on the subject of introversion. Particularly interesting are the studies that yield counterintuitive results. A management theorist, Jim Collins, began a research project to find out what characteristics made a company outperform its competition. He selected eleven successful companies to research in depth. Every single one of the companies was led by an unassuming man, "Those who worked with these leaders tended to describe them with the following words: quiet, humble,  modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated".

In addition to the results of many interesting research projects Cain discusses many famous examples of quiet types who achieved extraordinary things from Moses to Rosa Parks. In the interesting section on evangelical churches and personality Cain describes the tension between church and introversion. She quotes author and evangelical pastor, Adam McHugh: "The emphasis is on community, on participating in more and more programs and events, on meeting more and more people. It's a constant tension for many introverts that they're not living that out. And in a religious world, there's more at stake when you feel that tension. It doesn't feel like"I'm not doing as well as I'd like.' It feels like"God isn't pleased with me'". McHugh has written a book, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, that I have added to my to-read list (one thing leads to another).

When I posted on FB that I had read and recommended Quiet, one friend commented that she had been called "selfish" by someone at her church because of her personality. In the reviews on Amazon of Introverts in the Church, one reviewer stated:   "More than 10 years ago a good friend and fellow missionary scolded me for being a "recluse", for being "selfish with my time" and "too inside" my head.... I discovered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which helped me understand my own temperament. Not only did it affirm those things which were not flaws, but God-created characteristics, it helped me develop those traits in healthy ways." Cain points out the all too common problem in some churches,  "It's not enough to forge your own spiritual connection to the divine; it must be displayed publicly. Is it any wonder that introverts like Pastor McHugh start to question their own hearts?"

On a personal note I try to balance time with people verses time alone. I love to listen to people tell their stories. I love to talk! I absolutely love to connect with people over deep thoughts and ideas or profound experiences.  On the other hand I get overwhelmed by too much activity and too many people and I like to spend time alone. I like to think I can be delightful with people but if the balance between people time and alone time gets out of whack then I become more socially awkward and ridiculous and I feel less authentic.

I also like to think I am creative, on this Cain observes: "One of the most interesting findings, echoed by later studies, was that the more creative people tended to be socially poised introverts. They were interpersonally skilled but 'not of an especially sociable or participative temperament".

There is so much more in this book; from research that disproves the effectiveness of brainstorming (thank goodness) to studies that show performance gets worse as group size increases. One study made me laugh. Bailey has taken several personality and vocational tests over the years in preparation to go to college. She is currently a successful Computer Science and Engineering major at Mizzou. I will mention that she is intelligent (and is currently on the Dean's list) so that you understand why we were astonished with the results of one of her personality oriented vocational tests. The test revealed that she was best suited to the vocation of bus driver! The study mentioned in Cain's book (the one that made me laugh) stated: "high reactives become writers or pick other intellectual vocations where "you're in charge: you close the door, pull down the shades and do your work...(those from less educated backgrounds tend to become file clerks and truck drivers"). Apparently it was a personality trait that drove the bus driver result...what a relief!

That is what is wonderful about Quiet, I saw myself in it as a sensitive, high-reactive, I saw my children in it, I saw friends in it and in every instance our various non-extroverted qualities were portrayed as assets to be highly valued. Cain acknowledges the need for both extroverts and introverts and that each has something wonderful and diverse to offer to society, very much like the body of Christ. We are all of one body, but there are many parts to the body, with different roles to play.

One Thing Leads to Another - again and again!

stones from our flower bed, this is better than the smoothie picture!

Today, two different projects came together to lead me to a third and really my 6 mile run sealed the deal! I am about 6 days behind in my goal to Read The Bible in a Year. I've mentioned before I am reading chronologically through the bible on You Version. Currently I am in Joshua. I am also in the middle of my project of making crosses. My goal is to make a cross every day leading up to Easter. Today was day 20 of making crosses!

While I was reading in Joshua today I noticed that "Stones" came up quite often in these few chapters and for different reasons. First, the stones were used as memorial markers to remember that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan so that the Israelites crossed on dry ground.

Joshua 4:20-24

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

²⁰ Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, ²¹ and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ ²² you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. ²⁴ This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

Next I read about Achan. Achan kept for himself some treasures that he coveted from the spoils that had been taken at the fall of Jericho. He buried these things in the ground in his tent. Joshua confronted Achan who admitted his crimes. Achan was stoned to death and they raised a pile of rocks over his burned body.

 ²⁵ Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Today the LORD will trouble you!” So all Israel stoned them^[a] to death. They burned their bodies,^[b] threw stones on them, ²⁶ and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor^[c] to this day.

And it was when I next read of an altar being built of uncut stones that I began to wonder about the pattern.  

 

³⁰ At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel, ³¹ just as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. ³² There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites. 

I began to wonder about the corner stone and all the references to the Lord as our rock. This has been in the back of my mind since my friend Denise brought it up with regard to one of my earlier crosses.

This led me to make a cross today that involved stones. The cross did not turn out as I had seen it in my mind's eye. After making the cross I decided to run 6 miles. I often think and pray while running or sometimes I just zone out. About half-way through the run I thought I should do a word study on stones. God is the ultimate creator. He creates in ways we do not understand and hidden in His word are images that mean more than we know unless we take the time to follow them throughout scripture. So reading the bible in a year led to making a cross which led to doing a word study on stones.  One thing leads to another.

So far I have looked up verses about the ten commandments written on stones. The standout here is when the Bible says that they were "stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God".  The tablets were broken by Moses and God gave them to him again.

Joshua later renewed the covenant and he copied the laws of Moses on an altar of uncut stones. I have read about houses (in the Bible) made of stone and I finished today by beginning the verses about the stones used to build the Temple. I am not halfway through the verses for the literal stones- once I look up those I will begin the verses that talk about figurative stones. I am excited to get the big picture.  I will leave no stone unturned! ha ha.  

30 Consecutive Days of Running in Photos, sort of

30 Consecutive Days of Running- I was beginning to think it might take 30 consecutive days of working on GIMP (open source photo software similar to photoshop) in order to create the feet collage I had imagined from the beginning of this challenge. I got the idea to try the 30 consecutive days of running after seeing a similar (possibly more professional looking) photo collage on Pinterest. I followed the link (one thing leads to another) and discovered that the author had done the Runner's World challenge of running every day from Thanksgiving to New Years. I am always optimistic that I can see something someone else has done and do it myself, sometimes I am delusional! It's possible that it is easier to run 30 consecutive days than it is to use GIMP!

If at this point you are hoping I will be able to help you efficiently create a photo collage you do NOT need to read further. Go to Amy Tangerine's blog and find the answers there!!! What follows here is my convoluted, inefficient struggle to use the technology at my disposal!! And it will not hurt my feeling if you do not choose to continue reading...mostly a giant rant lies ahead!

Tonight I visited the above mentioned blog that featured a photo collage (amy tangerine) where Amy described how she had created the collage. She used Big Huge Labs. Once I got to Big Huge Labs it seemed the easiest way to get my pictures uploaded was to first upload them to Facebook. I do not have a flicker account and could not see a way to upload directly from my computer...tso this seemed the easiest way. I uploaded the photos to a Facebook album (I never intended to post these on FB- oh well) then uploaded from there to Big Huge Labs. I tried saving the file of the collage to my computer to two different locations and then was unable to retrieve the image. This is undoubtedly due to my lack of knowledge with regard to my own computer...whatever...I improvised. I emailed the image to myself, which turned out to be only a temporary link to the image, I was then able to save that temporary "postcard" to my regular photo thingy where all my other photos are. Because everyone else understands how their computer works tutorials do not provide the info needed for ME. I refuse to surrender. I have made a photo collage though I had pictured it with a very cool title, also I could not figure out how to get the pictures to load with the correct orientation or how to rotate them once I had loaded them to Big Huge Labs (or even to FB for that matter). Again, WHATEVER, I'll get it eventually!

There was one other issue, I lost track somehow and uploaded duplicate images and/or missed some images and then couldn't tell which ones I omitted or which ones were duplicates. So my photo collage is a little inaccurate. I took a picture every day of the 30 days except one...I forgot to take a picture on the day I ran on the treadmill at the hotel. I had taken an extra, in fact I took several extras in case I forgot again.

So there it is, my very bizarre and time consuming attempt to do what others can achieve in minutes!! And as I mentioned in the beginning  -- it was easier to run the 30 days in a row than to immortalize them in pictures!

Making Crosses Day 2

Another busy day, I can see that it will be a challenge to make a cross every day. With regard to my ongoing projects I managed to squeeze in a mile run tonight after seeing Parker run in the DMR at the Prosper Relays; I began my Project Life scrapbook; and made a cross for day 2 of Lenten cross making (not in that order).

In the writing prompt for cross making the author said something that really sets the tone for the entire cross making project and coincidentally also fits with the Project Life philosophy and life in general: "God wants our attention not our perfection." So much of what I do has to be squeezed in like my one mile run. Was that a quality run that I'm proud of...no. It was what I had time to do and it was better than no run at all. Each day I prioritize those things that I will not rush through, I choose which activities will get my full and undivided attention. On the long run day it's running. On each day I try to give the things of God my full attention: prayer,devotional, Bible reading, preparing for Sunday school, Bible study. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I do three lessons of Bible study in one day and I do several days of the read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan in one day to catch up. Sometimes I get distracted while praying but the point is that often I am successful and it is my intention to put God first.

Reading the affirmation that God wants our attention today was perfect on this day when there was so much to get done. Another thing the author mentioned is that "everything can be salvaged". She was speaking of the creation process, that if you make a mistake it can be morphed into something that isn't a mistake. And of course, she means that we as people can also be salvaged. I feel I am in a process of being salvaged by God's grace.

Madeleine L'Engle wrote: "Something we regret at the time as abysmally stupid may well end up being the one thing needed under the circumstances".  This made me think of the often-quoted verse (from Bible Gateway):

Romans 8:28

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose. 

The Bible Gateway notes say it this way: Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, : or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—

I can take a mistake I make while making a cross and turn it into something else, if I need to glue something over the mistake or paint over it, so be it, whatever it takes, it can be salvaged. Amazingly, God does the same for me. Whatever mistake I make, whatever sinful state I fall into, God can make it right. God doesn't have to resort to gluing something over the mistakes in my life, He is the original creator and what God does is transform, renew, restore. But the point is, I too, can be salvaged.

For my cross I wanted to do something that symbolized transformation. I thought of butterflies.

 

For the cross I copied images from Google of butterflies into Power Point and printed them out. Using a rubber stamp and brown ink I stamped all over the butterfly page. I then used watercolors and watercolor crayons to overlay color onto the entire design.

So I worked on Project Life, did my devotional and made a cross, went to Parker's track meet, ran one mile and then made butterscotch/peanut butter candy to take to Bailey tomorrow (Big 12 competition).

My mother and grandmother made the candy every year at Christmas. I am making it now because it travels well! Recipe below:

Taking the time to make the cross seemed impractical today. I am so glad I took the time to do it. It has given me great comfort throughout the day to picture God as the ultimate creator, creating something from so little and allowing me to return to Him again and again to be salvaged.

One Thing Leads to Another Again!

So far today has not been a productive day! I heard something yesterday that reminded me of another something I recently read in Madeleine L'Engle's book, Walking on Water. The subject was truth in fiction. I hope to write more on that on another day but first I want to explain why it appears that I never get anything DONE. I accomplish many things in a day but often they are not the things written on my to-do list.

It began with looking up the sections of L'Engle's book that I remembered. Then I wanted to re-read what CS Lewis said on the same subject. I googled it. This led me to a webpage, The Rabbit Room where I read an article about truth in fantasy, this led me to subscribe to the Rabbit Room's RSS feed which took me to my Google Reader. There I began reading the most current article from the Rabbit Room about Christian Storytelling,  and I came upon the word "adumbrated". Not knowing that word, I googled it. This led to the Merriam-Webster page where I found that the definition to adumbrated is: 

1: to foreshadow vaguely : intimate

2: to suggest, disclose, or outline partially <adumbrate a plan>

3: overshadow, obscure

— ad·um·bra·tion noun

— ad·um·bra·tive adjective

— ad·um·bra·tive·ly adverb

After reading the definition I noticed a quiz that appeared to the right of the definition called "Name That Thing Quiz". I took the quiz, it was very exciting because I scored 2900 while the average score is 2420!! I am always excited when I appear above average!

Regardless of the tiny quiz boost to my self-esteem I now have spent too much time wandering about and chasing rabbit trails. The truth in fiction research will have to wait for another time. I  must now get to the to-do list which includes my Bible study lesson, catching up on You Version with my read-the-bible in a year project and doing laundry. One thing really does lead to another but the key is to resist running down the rabbit trail on days when you have run out of clean underwear! All this talk of rabbits, rabbit rooms, rabbit trails requires a cute bunny picture. Enjoy!

Jackson with Christmas presents!

One Thing Leads to Another

Last night I had another one of those “one thing leads to another moments” that seem to be the driving force of my life. I was feeling too tired to accomplish anything and also tired enough that if I tried to read I would fall asleep. I turned on the TV, a show that I just began recording on our DVR was on. I rewound back to the beginning, I realize “rewound” is not the right word since DVR’s are digital but whatever.

I returned to the beginning of the show, Museum of Life, on PBS and began to watch. A woman, a botanist who works at the museum described how very early in the morning before the visitors arrived she would come to the gallery and lie on the floor with her binoculars. She did this in order to see the painted botanical panels that adorned the very high curved ceiling of the gallery. To better understand why she needed the binoculars you have to see the Natural History Museum of London on which the show is based.

The enormous structure is filled with gothic towers, grand arches and and was called by its first director, Richard Owen, “a cathedral to nature”, to display all of “God’s creations”.

[picture from earth in pictures]

The female botanist, (sorry, I don’t remember her name), needed binoculars to see the 162 painted ceiling panels which have been in that lofty position since the museum first opened in 1881. No records remain that would explain why or when the designers of the museum chose these particular plants. It is known that the artists painted straight on to the ceiling plaster, probably lying down on scaffolding and painting above their heads. Because no records existed of the paintings some of the plants have not been identified. However, as things are apt to occur with patience and obsession, the female botanist began to be intrigued by several paintings that she could not identify – one day she was looking through one of the botanical books in the collection and found a drawing of one of the unidentified plants. Here is a book cover depicting the ceiling panels.

I was intrigued by this story of this woman lying on the floor of the museum every morning and pleased that her fortitude enabled the identification of one of the mystery panels. I remembered, that because I have not yet visited the Natural History Museum in London (because I have never been to London) I own a book about it, Treasures of the Natural History Museum. I hit pause on my remote and went in search of the book. I found it and then happily flipped through my book for the duration of the show looking for the objects and subjects they mentioned. This was fun to me beyond what would seem to an ordinary person to be reasonable.

During the show I remembered that I own another book, Dry Storeroom No. 1, The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey. I love this book. Richard Fortey is a natural scientist whose specialty is trilobites. 

Trilobite image from Webosaurs Expert.

In Dry Storeroom, Fortey gives a behind the scenes tour of the museum and the scientists and experts that work there.  And so, I am considering re-reading Dry Storeroom because as I said at the beginning, one thing leads to another.

I think the reason I am fascinated by natural history museums in general is because they allow me to satisfy my love of visual expression but also museum scientists are precisely the polar opposite to my kind of obsessions. I become interested, sometimes obsessed with something and then I move onto something else. Museum scientists, and natural scientists spend a lifetime studying one subject. Another expert mentioned in Museum of Life, Professor Juliet Brodie, is a seaweed researcher. Her obsession, life purpose, and career are focused on one tiny part of a vast universe, seaweed. I am amazed and confused by this. I envy her ability to concentrate, analyze and perpetually admire the intricacies of seaweed.

Fortey, speaks of his purposeful and obsessed colleagues at the Museum this way: “I soon got to know John Taylor, Fred Naggs and Kathy Way as the mollusk people, the conchology gang, at home with gastropods and bivalves, squids and slugs, nudibranchs and pteropods. As I write this, they are still working in the same rooms, tucked away in their basement redoubt, John Taylor labouring on his beloved mollusks long after most of his contemporaries have taken to the golf club or the allotment”. 

While my obsessions are shallow, often just an interest in an image and no more, natural scientists are fascinated by every detail present, past and future of the inside, the outside, the lifestyle, habitat and food source for their specific creature or plant.

Some people are obsessed with Jennifer Lopez or George Clooney, or collecting frog figurines, getting tattoos or with golf in this same way! I cannot maintain celebrity obsessions or collections of things for very long. Years ago, I had a “thing” for merry-go-round horses and rainbows, now I am indifferent.

I admire the ability to never become bored with your subject of obsession and to find a purpose in it. At the end of your life to really know something inside out and to have furthered the knowledge and study of that something would be to have mastered many of the disciplines I would like to master: perseverance, patience, wisdom, solitude, gratitude and grace.

There is for me, behind the “one thing leading to another”, an overall purpose in Christ. And in pursuing that higher purpose I hope to develop perseverance, patience, wisdom, solitude, gratitude and grace.There is something to be learned from the disciplined mind of a natural scientist. Though I may never study mold, mushrooms, or marmots to the extent that scientists do, I can be inspired to bring those traits, the ones that fuel their obsessions, to bear on the many areas of my life that desperately need them. 

As I wrote that last sentence I was suddenly afraid that the phrase was "bring to bare" instead of "bring to bear". A quick search confirmed "bring to bear". Then I was worried about "lying/laying" used earlier.  I will now have to bookmark The Grammar Curmudgeon for future reference. And by the way I found another book, a companion to Museum of Life... One thing leads to another.