These plants prove it here. Is it possible for life to come from solid granite? Can something actually take life here? There's a large hunk of symbolism here. Ever been faced with a seemingly insurmountable job or project? We probably all have. One, for me, jumps into my head. I was taking an American Lit class in college, and I had to read Moby Dick in four days. No, I didn't go buy a copy of Cliff Notes on the novel. No, I didn't skip hundreds of pages detailing the butchering of whales and the securing of whale oil. No, I didn't scheme about skipping class and taking the test at another time. On a Thursday afternoon I opened the book, after dividing the thousand pages into four equal sections. My weekend was over! I read and read and read. I completed my task, as I remember, after midnight on Monday morning, the day of the test. Why didn't I take one of the easy routes that many in the lecture hall did? Really don't know, other than I really wanted to see what all the fuss about this classic was all about. It was probably the first time that real stubbornness raised its ugly head in my world. I do believe that my collegiate endeavor took a turn for the better that weekend.
This weekend I'll be doing some significant goofing off.
That weekend, in western New York, I didn't.
I still remember that weekend.
I think I always will.
When plants burst from rock.
I share your obvious enthusiasm for America's classic. :-)
ReplyDelete....."significant goofing off"????........ We'll see.
ReplyDeletei like that. i've had moments of that sheer will or stubbornness.
ReplyDeleteI did something like that, but the book wasn't Moby Dick!
ReplyDeleteThat was brilliant - the image, the narration and of course your determination!
ReplyDeleteYou were smart back then to know that you get so much more from reading the book than from reading the notes. The easy route is not often the best one.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough never to have so little time given to read a book and so it never crossed my mind to get notes...
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of Nature.
It is good to have something like that to be proud of, something that made its mark on you. Your determination to finish the huge book is akin to our soldiers doing their final long, hot, and gruelling march during training, carrying heavy gear and even carrying comrades on stretchers on their young shoulders. Once you have done it you know you can do it again and face even worse challenges.
ReplyDeleteIt was worth it in the end!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tale to learn a lesson .You're a great story teller !
ReplyDeleteThere's a line about the mind under pressure concentrates wonderfully. It's been years since I've read that book.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! That was a heck of a formative event.
ReplyDeleteI've spent some enjoyable time contemplating lichen on rocks in the middle of deserts. Not growing out of cushy cracks that catch nutrients. Just little growing plants pulling out life on top of inhospitable rocks. There's a lesson, isn't there?
Enjoy the significance of your goofing off.
I'm very impressed. I've been working on The Goldfinch for 3 weeks now.
ReplyDeleteThere is something to be said for personal honor and due diligence, sometimes short cuts don't matter, but it is almost always at the expense of well doing... good for you!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, most economics courses had far less demanding page counts, but ten pages of formulae and charts were no walk in the park.
ReplyDeleteNice quote and photo.
ReplyDeleteWow, reading Moby Dick in just a few days would give you some confidence.
ReplyDeleteGreat analogy here (Neat photo of the plants growing from the rock). Wow, I still haven't read Moby Dick. That seems like a lot of reading for one weekend. It's great though you stuck it out and accomplished the goal of reading the entire book.
ReplyDeleteLike the tenacity of the plants to blossom anywhere. Great photo, too. I like the shape of the rock.
ReplyDeleteNice going Birdman, it really is too easy these days to take the quick way around, not sure if it pays off in the long run though.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this post, for its rock, metaphor, diligence, reading, book, etc etc etc.
ReplyDelete