The Shipping News

   I was at a very weird point in my life when my journey embarked into this book.
   I'd like to think I'm a pretty religious person, especially with all the involvement I have in youth groups and the way I live my life. But one thing I kind of let run it's own course was dating a girl who didn't also believe in these things. Which became quite the source of stress. If the truth of my relationship was discovered, I'd be doomed. Because as a youth leader myself, I'd lose all credibility and respect if those I've been consulting figured out I'm not even listening to the same suggestions that I'm offering them...And rightfully so. 

But I couldn't turn my back on it because, well, yeah deep down a part of me kind of wanted to convert her, but even deeper down, more than anything I just simply didn't care and thought it would be worth it. Last time I checked, God never hurt anyone for caring too much. And I think now that everything is said and done, that it was very much "worth it". But anyway, in this time frame, when our interactions were still a bit shaky, and nerves still ate away at me, I began reading this book.
-Spoiler Alert- basically, the book follows the life of a man whose lived his whole life as a bit of an outsider per se. Facing plenty of social blunders and other mishappening since as far back as he could remember with parents who were in a world of their own. And in all this I related deeply. I've been hit with endless rejections of all sorts and awkward encounters that match one-for-one to all of his past. So this man, having fallen under a particularly hard time, ( for him it was his wife's death, for me it was a bout of self doubt ) he looked elsewhere for a new start and life. And he found it, as did I, in a place I'd never expected.


People always want to paint certain groups as undesirable and blah, blah, blah,- find reasons to denounce others. But with having broken walls down and getting close with a person I'd grown up fearing, a person I never expected to find interest in, an atheist, I realized that much more just how beautiful she, and people in general, can be. And the protagonist had a like experience as well. How their stories can be so similar or so different and what they make of them. It is wondrous.

And so with all that, I felt suddenly empowered as both my main character and I found our interests and pursued them side by side in the back of my mind. The development from small talk and awkward glances to full on conversations and confiding, the works, all unfolding in clear parallels. It was amazing to me. It was like I was calling a friend each night. Full of details and stories to share and that friend would always meet me with an ecstatic "me too". And like this, our chats would carry on until finally the book came to a close.

I also read The Cellist of Sarajevo at the same time, switching off between the two, and in all the passion of the characters in the novel I found within myself a new drive to go above and beyond as a significant other. And even just in general to randoms walking by. So I guess you could say that these books taught me how to  "relationship"