Essay: Seemingly Insignificant Characters

In a lot of stories, there is a protagonist, an antagonist, plots, themes, and a climax. In every story there are also the characters that get around two minutes of fame and are left forgotten by the reader. They are the shrimp who decided to play in the big leagues, but are declined the opportunity to even get off the bench. So, to the kids who were picked last at recess and the pimply prom prince who gets rejected by the girl of his dreams over and over, here's to you.

In Homer's Odysseus, there is a specific character about whom I am thinking. The name is Elpenor, idiot Elpenor. Actually, I made that up, his name is just Elpenor... But for the record, he is an idiot. He is mentioned twice and plays no significant role in the storyline (seemingly), but he is worth mentioning.

You can read about it in The Spirit of Elpenor, but Elpenor was a young, inexperienced war monger who probably had no business being on Odysseus's crew. He was first mentioned because of the fact that he died from drunkenly falling off the roof of an enchantress. In fact, his renown in America's high school English classrooms is as a drunken idiot. (I secretly believe he should be the first winner of a Darwin Award, and if you don't know what that is then PLEASE go look it up.)And I want to convince you of why that in and of itself is important to epic stories.

Humor is integral to a story. And luckily for Homer, 99% of people find drunk people hilarious. Everyone can appreciate a good drunk story, and Elpenor obliged for us. If The Odyssey didn't have any respite from the constant death and depression, a large portion of the population would find it less entertaining. The comic relief provided by the insignificant, forgotten characters actually shape the story much more than it appears.

I urge you to keep your eyes peeled in the future units you read for the Elpenors in each respective story, so you can figuratively give them a pat on the back for bringing you the smile and laughs within the drama.

Now, go out in the real world and open your eyes for modern-day Elpenors. Befriend them, for your life will be spiced up!

Darwin awards summed up in a photo.

Image credit: Hahastop.

Storytelling Week 3: Grief Ain't Brief

The beginning of August carried with it a soft breeze that hardly cushioned the effect of the blazing sun on Ody’s skin. Looking around him, Ody took in the scenery: the summer sun was setting over the cerulean tops of the standard stark white Greek houses. His best friends stood by his side with bittersweet countenance as they knew their time abroad was drawing to a close.

It all started with a spontaneous airline ticket purchase into Venice, Italy. Three weeks of adventure unfolded before them as they backpacked the coast of Croatia, hiked the Alps, and caught a fairy over the deep waters of the Adriatic Sea to land them in Greece the last few days of their journey. The very next day they were to catch a plane back to Houston, away from their dreams and into the ‘real’ world. It was at this time that Ody got the call.

“Ode, it’s your father. I know you are abroad, but I had to call. It’s…”

“Dad? What’s going on?” said Ody, detecting the tone in his father’s voice.

“Your mother, Ody. Your mother is gone. We found her late last night. She was missing you so she went to your favorite spot, on the mountain behind the pasture, just to feel closer to you. She must have misstepped… and… she fell quite a ways down. She didn’t make it.”

This dialogue went on for a few more minutes when it seemed that there was nothing left to say. Ody booked a flight from Houston to his home in Oregon, resolving to meet his dad at the airport the next evening to figure everything out. Until then, Ody had to get through the his last night in Greece.

His friends did their best to comfort him, but really just served best when trying to distract his mind. That night, Ody’s sleep proved to be even more unrestful than being awake.

He was back at home, walking through the pasture with a blanket and journal in tow, heading for his fort. It was his favorite place to go while growing up. He was climbing the final stretch of the rocky trail, the fort’s tree in sight. Inside, he sat with his journal open, wanting to write but not knowing where to begin.

He heard a noise and saw his mother climbing the ladder to get inside; she must have followed him. He leant her a hand and pulled her up to the seat next to him.

“What’s troubling you?” his mother asked.

“Mom, I… don’t know. Why did you leave? How could you leave? What am I going to do?

“I didn’t know that when I had left for Europe I would never see you again. It’s my fault. I should have warned you not to come up to the fort alone, it can be dangerous.” Ody sobbed.

“I know, son, I know. I didn’t want to leave, I really just missed you, that’s all. Promise me that when you return, you’ll hug our family extra tight for me.”

At that instant, Ody woke up in the night. Plagued by his dreams, but a small part of him thrilled he was able to get another glimpse at his mother’s face, no matter how counterfeit. 

And so it began, his journey of grief. He didn’t realize that as he was leaving the journey of his dreams, he would be arriving to an entirely new journey, one he never hoped to begin. The journey of grief and loss.

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Author's Note: This is a very loose version of the story in Homer's Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline in 2000, called The Spirit of Anticleia. In the original story, Odysseus and his men have traveled all over the earth, conquering many beasts and all kinds of evil. He finds himself traveling to the underworld to seek the advice of a friend that had passed, and there he sees the spirit of his mother, Anticleia. When he had left his home in Ithaca, his mother had been alive. He first discovered her death through visiting the underworld. 

While greek mythology may seem hard to translate into real-world terms, I wanted to do something about the impact of losing a mother. While a majority of people can't relate to cyclops’ deaths, and being enchanted by princesses, most can relate to the sting of death in one way or another. That is what I hope to have conveyed through writing the story. No matter where you are in your journey of grief, you can feel for Ody, who has just begun his own.

On a completely random sidenote, I decided the setting for this story based on the exact trip a friend and I are taking to Europe this summer. We will be flying into Italy and out of Athens after three weeks of adventuring over there. This fact made it a little more interesting to write, although I am praying against it being any sort of foreshadowing for my life!

Santorini, Greece.

Image Credit: BlogLovin'

Reading Diary B: Homer's Odyssey

The second half of Homer's Odyssey proved to be just as exciting and enjoyable as the first! Although the ending of the reading unit wasn't necessarily the end of the entire story, it did end with triumph and adventure!

The stories within the unit that were most impactful to me were The Spirit of Anticleia and The Ghosts of Famous Women. At this point, Odysseus and his men traveled to the underworld to visit the dead and get wise Teiresias to prophesy about his journey back to Ithaca. While there, Odysseus sacrifices lambs in order to get the dead to come to him. Before Teiresias comes, he has to see the ghosts of all of the women he knew, one of those being his mother, Anticleia.

The first story is a dialogue between him and his mother, who was alive when he had left on his journey. He didn't know she had died, and grieved intensely upon seeing her ghost. The pain and grief he felt seems so real in the story. The second story goes through and describes all of the spirits of the other women he knew throughout life and it's as if you are directly in Odysseus's mind, hearing his thoughts on them.

For me, these stories were impactful because they remind me that once you die, people are left with a certain impression of you that can never change. It inspires me to make sure that I leave a legacy that is honorable. I don't want to be like the women that Odysseus mentions and only quotes the negative things. I guess this reading provoked me: For what will I be remembered?

When I think about legacies, I can't help but think of a woman who left behind an incredible legacy here on earth. Mother Teresa was known for her love for others and for Jesus. My, oh my, how I would love to be a modern-day Mother Teresa!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A - Homer's Odyssey

A fine, fine read is The Odyssey by Homer. As long as you don't get too attached to any characters- because there is a 70% chance they will die in the next story- then this reading is perfect. I read part of the Iliad for my extra reading unit last week and loved it, so I've decided to read all of The Odyssey for my week three readings.

It is a tale of hardship after hardship, accompanied by some misfortune with a hint of pride. In the first half of the reading, Odysseus and his crew visit and defeat a cyclops as well as a magical goddess, who originally wanted to harm them but later became an ally.

One of the most interesting stories was The Moly Defeats Circe. Circe is the magical goddess who tries to harm Odysseus in the same way she has already harmed half of her crew. With the help of Hermes, Odysseus is able to outwit her and get his crew transformed back from pigs into humans.

One thing that stands out to me in this story is the grief that Odysseus and his crew feels at the loss of one another. I think I read these stories and get so accustomed to death being integral to these stories, that I forget the characters in them must have time to mourn. They were a family, and they grieve the loss of a family member. Their grief is so inspiring, in fact, that it changed the heart of the one who caused it: "... and even the goddess was moved to pity."

Circe realizing Odysseus's greatness.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Another story that I didn't quite understand, but found entertaining nonetheless, was The Death of Elpenor. He got so drunk that he decided to climb on top of the roof and passed out; he then woke up at hearing some noise, forgot that ladders existed, and fell of the roof to his death. There really is no significance to this, I just thought it ridiculous, and appreciate that it was included!

To Pick a Topic...

Topic: Western African Stories

Comments: Because I have visited Western Africa before, I think it would be really fascinating to hear about some of the tales of their region. I have visited Mozambique, and the stories I have looked into are actually from places like Ghana, but I think they are closely linked enough to where I still would get a good 'taste' for Western African folklore.

Possible Stories: Looking at the Western Africa unit from the UNtextbook, I see a few different directions I could go because there are so many different stories within the unit. There are a lot of stories focused on animals, so I could do a direction where I explore the origin of animals based on Western African tales.

Sample Story Comments: This story seems super interesting because we have that famous "Tortoise and the Hare" tale that is told in the United States all growing up, but it is as if this adds a little flavor to that tale!

Bibliography Information:

Sample Story: How the Tortoise Got Its Shell

Book Title: West African Folktales

Book Author: William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair

Year: 1917

Topic: Inuit Tales

Comments: I did a project last semester on Inuit throat singing and how it has developed and changed forms throughout history. I found it extremely interesting, and just think that doing a Storybook on it might even add to my knowledge of the subject!

Possible Stories: Well, it looks like if I am going to do this that I am going to have to get familiar with this belligerent and infamous Raven character. If I do end up doing this, I think I would really enjoy reading all of the stories about it.

Sample Story Comments: I just picked a story at random from the unit, and found it to be very entertaining. I think it is a good one about entitlement! This seems to be one of the stories where Raven finds himself a little more humbled.

Bibliography Information:

Sample Story: Raven's Marriage

Book Title: Myths and Legends of Alaska

Book Author: Katharine Berry Judson

Year: 1911

Topic: Love is a Fairytale

Comments: I grew up with the flowing red-haired wig from Ariel, the flawless blonde up-do wig from Cinderella, and had nightmares of the witch from Snow White. Why not learn more about them in a unit? I think it a fun, creative way to link back to my childhood!

Possible Stories: I don't know if I would go from a direction of the classic princess stories that Disney tended to glorify, or pick some of the same genre just less popular. Or a mix of both! There are stories about Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, one about 12 dancing princesses, and so many others. I feel like I would want to include them all in some way!

Sample Story Comments: Rapunzel isn't exactly like the movie Tangled... or rather, the other way around. It follows the storyline with which I am familiar, but I don't think I realized how morbid these tales can actually be!

Bibliography Information:

Sample Story: Rapunzel

Book Title: Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

Book Author: Translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes, with illustrations by R. Anning Bell

Year: 1912

Rapunzel's happily every after.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Topic: Italia
Comments: Wanderlust. It's got me bad. One place I have always wanted to visit is Italy. My dream is coming true this summer when I get to go backpack for three weeks through a small part of Europe. Basically, I am picking this to focus just on Italy because I have always had a fascination for the place.
Possible Stories: There seem to be a lot of tales in this unit, and one idea I have that I think would be cool is to try to find a story from four different regions within Italy, and create a sort of Mythology map.
Sample Story Comments: I loved this story! It's so different than others I've read, and I am glad this one actually ends happy. But I found it interesting that the magician suggest he get quartered? If Italians are that crazy... I might reconsider going!
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Water and Salt
Book Title: Italian Popular Tales
Book Author: Thomas Frederick Crane
Year: 1885

Classical and Biblical: Extra Reading Diary

For the last assignment of the weekdays, I have chased to read the first half of Homer's The Iliad. And although I am stopping now to do the assignment for the week, I have enjoyed it so much that I am about to go and finish the rest of the reading. This is an epic story of the the Trojan War, full of heartbreak, valor, pride, idiocy, etc. I honestly found it challenging to pick just a few examples from the text that were my favorite, but alas, I must!

Perhaps the most impactful quote from the story for me was from The Embassy to Achilles. In it, there is an embassy coming to Achilles to persuade him to come to battle on behalf of the Greeks, for the Trojans were destroying their ranks. Achilles heart is jaded with pride, and the embassy reminds him of his own father's admonition:

"My son, the gods will give you strength and will make you mighty in battle, if it be their will; but there is something which you must do yourself: keep down the pride of your heart, for gentleness is better than pride; also keep from strife, so shall the Greeks, both young and old, love you and honor you"

This example is so closely linked to Biblical ideologies it fits so perfectly with this unit! This quote echoes that of one of Solomon's Proverbs:

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. 18:12

Achilles's father, Perseus, gave wise advice to his son. It is so neat to see the correlation between Christian roots and classical Greek mythology deposited into little parts of each of the texts.

Another favorite was when Achilles is still talking to the embassy and he says, "Once I thought fame was a better thing than life; but now my mind has changed..." in The Embassy to Achilles (cont.) Although Achilles has many issues of pride, anger, judgement, etc. It was anti-characteristic of him to have the thought of fame being of low value to him. It is especially interesting in light of what he says later in The Deeds and Death of Patroclus, where Achilles is speaking to Patroclus. "But when you have done this, come back and fight no more with the Trojans, for it is my business to conquer them, and you must not take my glory from me..."It is interesting to see how I thought for one moment that Achilles might be learning that fame isn't everything, yet he is still jealous for glory.

These quotes are just a few of the highlights to me of this long tale. What I love most about it, and what is contrary, in my opinion, of the last reading I did, is that this story flows. It flows like the long mane of Patroclus's immortal chariot horses. I felt connected the story, as if I was there experiencing it all. Every committed reader knows that this is the mark of a good work!

This post is a bit long, but I just got so excited! Just for grins, here is a picture of the wrathful Achilles:

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Storytelling Week 2: Phaethon's Plight

Payton sat in the middle of his entrepreneurship class daydreaming about how he could become the next CEO featured in Forbes. Sipping up the drool as his professor concluded that day’s lecture, Payton gathered his stuff and beelined for the exit. Catching up with a few of his classmates as they headed towards the student union, Payton announced how he was going to follow in his father’s footsteps and start his own multibillion dollar corporation by the time he was thirty, his words dripping with pride.

Accustomed to his claims, his classmates rolled their eyes as they quickly dispelled Payton’s dreams. “Pay, you cannot be serious. You are the bottom of the class, scraping by to barely graduate this year. We want you to do well, but you must face the music. You are an average businessman who is not capable of competing on Wall Street. You don’t even have a job yet! Also, you say that your father is the CEO of Sun Corporation, but we’ve never seen you interact with him. Once again, we want to call your bluff; drop the facade and drop the dreams. We’ve seen you with your father, who runs a local coffee shop, which is not exactly the multimillion dollar company about which you frequently boast.”

“Guys, seriously? I’ve told you a million times that Mer’s Mocha is owned by my step-father” Payton rebuttled, “my real father is the CEO of Sun Corp. Just you all wait, I will prove every single one of you wrong and create the most successful business you’ve ever seen.”

The truth is, Payton had never met his real father, if that even was the truth. He did live with his mother, Clemmy, and step-father Merop; it was the only life he had ever known. He called his mother later that evening and questioned her legitimacy about his birth father. Fed up with his inability to accept her story as truth, she counseled him to go visit his father at Sun Corp.

Determination in tow, Payton booked a ticket to Chicago and went straight to the Sears tower where Sun Corporation is headquartered. After annoying the secretary, he was given the favor to at least speak to his father’s assistant. After pleading with the assistant to at least check the authenticity of his story with his father, Payton was told to wait outside of the top floor corner office.

The doors opened wildly and a man tall in stature with thick golden hair exclaimed, “Payton! My son, I thought I would never see you again! What brings you here? How did you find me?” Fas, short for Phoebus, is his name; he started Sun Corporation from the ground up and has been named the most successful CEO in Chicago.

“I came here to find out if it was true- that you really are my father. I am studying business at Harvard, and had to find out if it was in my blood,” replied Payton.

“Oh Payton, yes it is absolutely true. I want to help you! In fact, anything you need my help with you just let me know and I promise I will do everything in my power to make it come to fruition,” said Fas.

“I want to run my own branch of Sun corporation in New York. I want to be the CEO of that branch and prove to my classmates that I am successful and powerful,” demanded Payton.

Fas’s face fell. Everything but that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the best for his son or worried about the wellbeing of his company, rather, that he didn’t see the qualities in Payton that are necessary to run a giant corporation. Payton needed to grow and mature, and learn the business for a while before taking on such a daunting task. He explained this to Payton, but it’s as if he was talking to a brick wall. Never had he regretted a promise so much.

“Son, you need to grow more, learn the business a little bit. Right now, you wouldn’t succeed easily. There are too many other businesses out there gunning for you to fail! Because I made a promise, I will do this for you. But I truly advise you to not choose this path. I don’t want your career to be ruined before it even starts!” Fas admonished.

A man of his word, Fas set up a branch of Sun Corp. to launch in New York starting in May when Payton graduated. Payton was to be the CEO and operate this branch as an independent branch of the company. The fate of Payton’s career was in his own hands now.

(In honor of my recent trip to Chicago) The city of Chicago as seen from the Navy Pier at sunset. Self-photographed on January 19, 2015.

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Author's Note: This is a retelling of Phaethon and the Sun from Ovid's Metamorphoses Unit (books 1-4) and translated into English by Tony Kline in 2000. The original story is based on Sun, the immortal god of the sun, reuniting with his son, Phaethon, for the first time since he was born. Phaethon wants to prove to his classmates that he was born of a god. Upon reuniting, Sun grants Phaethon one wish. Phaethon wishes to drive Sun's chariot of fire for one day, but Sun admonishes Phaethon to pick something else. In the following story, we see how Phaethon is not ready for such power. This story, however, ends on a note of impending destruction. I chose to put this in a business-like setting because it seems to be easily correlated to Phaethon and the Sun.

Reading Diary A: Classical & Biblical

I have chosen Ovid's Metamorphoses Books 1- 4 as my first reading unit! Since this post is over just the first half, I have thoroughly read and enjoyed the first seven stories from the unit. Here are some of the highlights:

Amidst stories of rape, lust, loss, fear, etc. my favorite of the first half were the three stories dealing with Phaethon who is the son of Sun and mortal Clymene. The first thing that grabbed my attention was from the story Phaethon and the Sun. The imagery used to describe the palace of Sun is awe-inspiring if given actual attention.

The palace of the Sun towered up with raised columns, bright with glittering gold, and gleaming bronze like fire. Shining ivory crowned the roofs, and the twin doors radiated light from polished silver.

 Because this unit is also paired with Biblical units I find this comparison interesting from a passage in Revelation chapter 4 (verses 3-6) that describes the throne room of God in a similar manner.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald... From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. (From ESV Bible Online)

A lot of times I find myself thinking that words suck. Not innately. Just that sometimes words are pretty feeble to communicate those really-deep-inside feelings. But the way that the writer of Phaethon and the Sun and the way John in Revelation both describe these places that are indescribable, I want to be able to do that with words one day. I want to have such a good grasp on them that I can articulate the hard things, just a random thought!

The other stories in this unit are packed with emotional tales and dramatic betrayals, but this in particular is the thing that most stood out.

Painting by Gustave Moreau included in the story Phaethon's Ride

UnTextbook Experience

I've grown up hearing a lot of the names included in the UnTextbook, and I think it is a pretty good deal to get to explore these more in depth for class credit. Almost every single one grabs my attention in some capacity, but I'll make note of a few that grab my attention currently.

Sindbad. I've heard this name many times, yet have never explored its origin. I feel like this class provides me the perfect opportunity to explore the stories of Sindbad and his voyages. I know that I will want to stop reading and just jump on the ships with him!

Nursery Rhymes. What a classic idea! We all hear them, and rhyming in particular always fits my fancy because I just find it clever. I think I will enjoy looking into some nursery rhymes more in depth and understand the original versions of the childhood chants.

One of my favorite nursery rhymes, the three little pigs. 

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Homer's Odyssey. I read this book in high school and loved it. Maybe it was the adventure or maybe it was... no, it was definitely the adventure. I'm a sucker for it. Any book that makes me want to stop reading it and DO it, is a success. By the end of the semester I fully expect Odysseus and I to become best friends.

Alaska. Frontiers. Pioneering. I guess you could say I am pretty "inuit." Alaska is intriguing to me. The inuits that settled the frontier, also known as eskimos, are (c)old friends of mine. I have done research on their throat singing style, although have failed at making it my own. Exploring more about this culture would just help me have a more complete understanding of them, and that is so very exciting!

King Arthur. Good ol' King Arthur. I also read up on him a lot in high school and would love a refresher. Quests for the Holy Grail and other adventures... plus it will help me have a more realistic idea of what is happening when I watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

A very serious representation of King Arthur done through Monty Python. 

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Storybook Favorites

The biggest query of the day:

How is someone who loves reading supposed to choose only three storybooks on which to focus? Is it just me or is my teacher trying to limit me? I think it's just me. I could probably pick 16 if I wanted to. Alas, it will just be three for now.

The first is The Gospels: Tales from our Dads. I was immediately drawn to this title because I have been intrigued by the correlations between mythology and religion. They both have the same goal and purpose, to explain the supernatural. Just drawing from my own beliefs, it is very cool to see stories that I have read several times told from such a unique perspective. I think this particular storybook does a great job of tying in a fresh view of something that most people have spent their efforts avoiding.

I also was intrigued by the title of the storybook Fantastically Tragic Deaths in Greek Mythology. Maybe I am obsessed with death and murder or maybe I just find the creativity and symbolism of mythology incredibly entertaining... I'll let you pick. This storybook is told from the perspective of a funeral director whose job it is to send people into their afterlife. It is a bit depressing to read, but I guess that is what you can expect from a funeral director.


The last one I looked into for the day was Greek Game Show. I thought this style was one way to have a storybook be told in an extremely out of the box manner. The author wrote it to where Hermes was the night's MC and hosted each of the famous contestants. This style gets me to thinking that I will be able to create a story in a way that isn't typical but still grabs the reader.

Hermes being the MC for the Greek Game Show.

Image courtesy of Greek Game Show Storybook Round 1

Introduction: Avery in a Nutshell

Well, here goes nothing.

The name is Lain, Avery Lain. I have been in a four-year-long battle with OU for a petroleum engineering degree, and I can confidently say that I am going to win this battle once and for all come May. You could say I am a nerd, because I actually enjoy calculus and chemistry. Whether or not it's a euphemism, I just call myself unique. The world needs people like me, and the world needs people like you!

My family has lived in three cities since I have been in college, so telling people where I am from has gotten complicated. I graduated from Aledo High School nearby Fort Worth, Texas. We then moved to Midland, Texas for a few years and this past May my parents settled down in Abilene, Texas. The only thing I can say confidently is that I am from Texas. I am from ALL of Texas. But as you may have derived from my previous post, I consider many places home.

When telling people about myself, I find that I never usually say the same things. Life is dynamic; I am dynamic. So today, I am introducing myself, but if you ask me again tomorrow my answer may very well be different. Do it, I dare you.

One thing that will not change, however, is my love for Jesus. If you don't know Him, I'd highly recommend it. Not the Jesus that a lot of people misrepresent, or the hate-filled Christians you see protesting and condemning sometimes. I am talking about the real Person of Jesus. He is easily my best friend, and I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for Him. Well, I guess you could argue I wouldn't have made it all all if it weren't for Him since He, you know, created me... but hopefully you're smelling what I'm stepping in here.

I love being outside. Like, a lot. I am hands-down a mountain person, although I can get down with the beach, too. Hiking, hammocking, kayaking, backpacking, biking, running, adventuring (which I just now decided is a word). I love it all. 

Just to give you an idea of some crazy adventures I have had, here is a picture of me cooking with my newly made friend in Pemba, Mozambique:

Self-photographed in Mozambique June 2013.

I love the picture that Laura posted about mermaids today because I really do hate living in "shallow water" and have no fear of the "deep." Really, I am much more interested in what makes you "you" rather than what you had for lunch or how you are enjoying the weather (although there is of course, always time for a good foodies convo).

I love life; I really do. Joy is easy when you know the Guy who gives it, and honestly dreaming has become one of my new favorite pastimes. It turns out that I get the opportunity to move to The Woodlands, Texas after graduation, and you better believe I've been dreaming about the possibilities of that place. I enjoy people, and I enjoy learning. I try to live by the following philosophy:

Treat every person like a cherry. Think about it, when you eat cherries what do you do? You pop it in and spit out the cherry pit. Every cherry is different, but no matter what you spit out the pit. Some pits are bigger than others, of course, but you treat cherries the same. Every person has some good, and every person has some bad. I can learn from anyone. I 100% believe that there is something that each person knows better than me, and I can learn from that. I take it and keep it, and the parts of that person that aren't the best I just overlook them (spit it out) and love them anyways.

It's not the easiest philosophy to live by, but boy is it rewarding.

Anyway, today this is me and I can't wait to learn from ya!

Storytelling Week 1: 'Greedom' is not Free.

Times were tough. It seems as if desperation was the only readily available snack, and hunger had become a faithful friend of all.

King Greed knew that the kingdom would not survive if the appropriate measures were not taken, so he summoned his servant named Mouse.

“We must go out and search for food so that our kingdom can survive.”

So King Greed and Mouse set out on a long journey in search of food. After many days and nights they arrived in a land they have never seen before. Upon arriving, they found fields with organized rows of green plants. They decided to open the plants up, and discovered golden pods of nectar.

“Alas, Mouse, we have found that for which we have searched far and wide! All of this food can be ours” exclaimed Greed.

Mouse reared back his head to chomp down on the newly discovered food. Right before making contact, a rush of wind met them. It came from a magnificent chariot driven by a weasel. He wore a robe of purple velvet that cascaded down over the edge of the rail inches above the ground.

“I am King Wisdom, and this is my land. I see you have found the corn plant for which my kingdom is famous. I overheard your saying this food can be yours” he said, directing his gaze to King Greed. “Friends, I am sorry to say that I cannot let you take this for yourself. You can have whatever you can carry in your bags, but that is all I will allow.

“Thank you for coming to visit my land, and you are welcome back to visit any time. I must go back to my duties, now.”

With a sudden rush, King Wisdom’s chariot lurched forward and he disappeared in an instant.

Mouse began to fill his pockets with corn, and turned away once this had been accomplished. King Greed, however, looked at Mouse and told him that he was a fool for believing King Wisdom.

“He will have no idea if we take more than our share! Look at those horses in the distance; we can tie hundreds of sacks to them and take them back to our land” said King Greed.

Mouse felt uneasy because of the warning King Wisdom had given him. But the corn was incredibly refreshing after not having eaten for so long. He just couldn’t pass up this opportunity, and King Greed was convincing. Mouse went and untied the horses that were at a house nearby and began filling up all of the sacks he could, with his master’s approving gaze.

Once all of the horses were loaded up, King Greed and Mouse decided to go back to their own land with all of the corn they had stolen.

Right before reaching the edge of King Wisdom’s land, a guard noticed them as foreigners. The guard quickly sent for King Wisdom and stopped King Greed and Mouse from leaving.

Not long after, King Wisdom arrived on his chariot. Once King Greed and Mouse had come into his sight, he immediately knew what had transpired. Disappointed, he addressed the two:

“I know what you have done. I told you that you were allowed some, and you took a hundred times that. I am disappointed in you both. You are no friends of my land, and for punishment I will keep you both imprisoned here until you are even hungrier than when you arrived. Only then will I let you return to your land.”

Defeated, King Greed and Mouse were tied up and taken to the prison nearby.

Just when they thought no more misfortune could come, they discovered that their jail cell had a window that overlooked fields and fields of corn.

The view from the jail cell window.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Author's Note:

This fable is called The Mouse and the Weasel from Aesop for Children, by anonymous, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). In the original text, a hungry mouse encounters a bag of corn. He finds a small hole and wiggles his way inside. After eating more than his share, he discovers he can't get back out because his belly won't let him leave. A weasel comes by and figures out what happened to the mouse, giving him little sympathy for his greed.

I loved this fable in particular, because I feel like greed is something that the world pushes on us from an early age. Something can be innately good, but if you have too much, even good can be bad. It mimics one of my favorite Proverbs:

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

Proverbs 25:16

In America especially, where materialism is rampant, greed can lead us after the pursuit of money and pleasure. But a pursuit that is left unchecked can quickly turn into our ruin. This fable has been rewritten with a bit of a creative flare, turning greed and wisdom into people. I feel like this allows me to look at it as if my decisions are capable of being heavily influenced by these two things, and I must ensure I am always aware of to which I am listening!

Favorite Places

My favorite places. I try not to choose favorites in life because feelings tend to be hurt and drama isn't really my thing, but inevitably the beauty of the world seeps in deeper when I'm in special places. I wanted to limit my choices based on places I consider to be "home." People always say that home is where the heart is, so I figure it is appropriate since a little piece of my heart resides in the following:

Pemba, Mozambique, Africa

This one was the easiest to choose, I didn't even waiver. This place takes the cake for being my favorite of all time. I called Pemba home for three months during the summer of 2013. I think the reason for it being home to me is that, in a way, it took me in and let me stay a while... kind of like a worn sofa or a good book. I traveled to Pemba one person, and left another. This place saw the good in me, forgot the bad, and shaped the "me" I am today.

 The coastline in Pemba, Mozambique.

Self-photographed on July 9, 2013.

Leticia, Colombia, South America

Mmm, just looking at the pictures again makes me smile. Though I only called the small town of Leticia home for two weeks, it really is one of my favorite places. The people, the landscape, the food, the culture in general. It marked me. I traveled here on a study abroad trip at the beginning of summer 2014 with 6 of my best friends. I went to learn about petroleum, but really I just took away an incredible experience and knowledge of something bigger than the suburban life in Norman, OK. I visited three countries in one day, held a sloth, rode a boat across the Amazon river, ate grub worm, had 14 wild monkeys jump on me simultaneously and to top it all off had some belly-laughs with the besties. I love Colombia!

A pickup soccer game in an outlying village near Leticia, Colombia.

Self-photographed in May 2014.

The Woodlands, Texas

I guess this location is bending the prompt a little bit. I chose The Woodlands based on my high expectations of it becoming one of my very favorite places. When life comes knocking on my college-loving door come May, I will walk across the stage straight to The Woodlands, Texas. Although I am leaving behind too many "homes" in Norman to count, I get giddy like a kiddy when I think about life after college. I have the most incredible employer and support system waiting for me in the Houston area. I am a firm believer in the idea that every day is good, some are just better. College won't be the best four years of my life, because I have a lot of years to go... and every year has the potential to get better! So cheers to high expectations and humidity!

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation headquarters, Allison Tower in The Woodlands, Texas. 

Source: Wikimedia Commons