Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00311)

Good morning,

Some reflections of this weekend which I hope may be of meaning to 
someone. Thinking about the alternation of reading books of 
local/regional, national, and global/universal focus, I realized that 
this pattern is replicated in my outdoor recreation. Two strong 
compulsions that guide my life are to explore new territory on a 
regular basis via reading books, and via paddling a kayak. There is 
a definite urge to seek variety, that is not to read the same kind of 
book or paddle the same kind of waterway as the last couple of 
explorations. With paddling, the alternation is between whitewater, 
blackwater, and blue water. That is, between clear fast-moving 
streams with rocky bottoms (plentiful in the Piedmont of NC/VA), slow 
moving cypress swamps (plentiful in the adjacent coastal plain), or 
wide open bodies of water in the form of bays or large lakes. 
Fortunately all are within a couple hours drive. It's as if a pair 
of heretofore unconscious rules have determined both my reading and 
paddling: 1) explore something different than last time and 2) keep a 
balance between three levels of focus (small/medium/large, kinda.)

What interests me about recognizing the same pattern in these two 
overpowering drives is that in each case there is a dynamic 
equilibrium and a mutual encouragement that occurs. Hence, a book of 
global interest on genetic history will point towards a book of local 
interest on race relations; paddling a whitewater stretch will plant 
the idea of exploring a blackwater tributary of the same waterway 
downstream. And so on.

At this point I've only observed, not really interpreted this 
pattern, and would welcome comment on what it might mean to anyone 
else.

Cheers,

Paul