Saturday, September 17, 2005

Secret Confessions of a Childhood Bookworm

I am the kid who grew up on a farm and hasn't the slightest ability to identify pieces of farm machinery. I am the kid who would go outside to read for a bit and then jump up and go inside where the bugs wouldn't distract me from my reading.

I write this blog so you may get an honest picture of me. A love for the outdoors has captured me only recently. As I read comments on my post, I felt perhaps one might picture me as the kid who embraced nature, loved getting dirty, and would bring home frogs in my pocket. You would be mistaken. My sister was that person.

When we played "Little House on the Prairie" she got to be Laura. I was Baby Carrie. Don't remember Baby Carrie? That's because she never did anything. And that's what I did. I'd tromp around with my sis for a bit, then get tired of it and go inside and read books about people who played outside and had wonderful adventures. Meanwhile, Hillary was out playing in the old corncrib, discovering the latest litter of newborn kittens, tending to birds with broken wings, and pulling up wild onions. I now realize that my sister is awesome for many reasons, including her love for nature.

When I moved to the city (if you call Fairborn, OH a city) I regretted all the time I'd wasted. I grew up on a farm where I could walk out the door and into a wonderland. I lived in a place where I had to drive to enter beauty. Like where I live now, in Louisville. But I can say that not only am I entranced with God's beauty in the outdoors now, I also try to use my time wisely when I'm indoors. I'm no saint, but I try not to spend all day on the internet--that became a lot easier when it got shut off at our house last week--hence the long time, no blog. Nick and I don't have a TV--don't think it's evil, just unnecessary. So I read, definitely don't play video games, I listen to music and sometimes write.

I love visiting my parent's farm, and I'm actually learning more about it now. I can't wait until our children can romp around on granpma and grandpa's farm and enjoy the fullness of what God's creation has to offer.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Great post! Nice to meet a fellow childhood bookworm. The library was my absolute favorite place to go and there was always a stack of books lying around in my room.

With regards to imagination, I still have all my original CS Lewis paperbacks, which are well worn and a bit tattered from the many hours of my childhood expeditions.

I miss the lazy summer afternoons when the day stretched out before me with endless potential and books were the doorway into other worlds.

Thanks for capturing that in words.

L. Eubanks said...

I am glad you posted that. I totally had you pegged as a frog gigger (do you know what that is?) I love nature too! I wish that my parents would by a place on the river so I could have a beautiful place to go. Have you been to the nature center across from the zoo? It's a nice little break in the middle of the city. We should go sometime.