BitterSweetLife

Hard manual labor is supposed to add gloss to various aspects of life. For example, Ecclesiastes 5:12 points out that "the sleep of the working man is sweet." Proverbs mentions that not only will a hard worker have money in the bank, but that God will smile on him. None of this is anything to sniff at. However, glaringly absent from the biblical record are any promises that the manual laborer will have plenty of time and energy to write clever, insightful prose when he returns home.

Admittedly, I've been spending the last three weeks working out in the sun while listening to music and theological messages, in other words, doing lawn service. A couple friends have pointed out that there are worse summer jobs, e.g. working in a Christian book store, and this is undoubtedly true. But the long days in the sun haven't been conducive to writing so far...not conducive at all.

Instead of asking, "What should I blog about tonight and how should I develop the protagonist in my book project?" I'm asking, "Did I accidentally wipe off the sunscreen when I blew that gnat out of my nose?"

"Was the landscaper high when he designed this shrubbery arrangement?"

"Would the homeowner notice if I just obliterated this thorny little vine instead of whacking the weeds around it?"

"Are my biceps big enough to crack walnuts yet?"

Etc.

Also, I am still breathing out after the sad tedium of last semester. Decompressing with the help of Bob Dylan (folky nonconformity) and Over the Rhine (soulful nonconformity) and Beck (rhythmic, funky nonconformity).

I am hoping that this sun & sweat, music & theology treatment approach will eventually result in a person who can work a rugged eight-hour day and then come home and write. Otherwise, it's going to be a long summer for the blog.