From the Editor's Computer
Beginning when I was very sick as a 14 year
old, and continuing through the years, I boxed up copies of various sayings,
quotations, stories, magazines, and other clippings that I wanted to save for
some future project. As I was too sick
to deal with them at the time (or so I thought), the boxes filled and
multiplied.
Years later, when I became much healthier
and my schedule became much busier, items were still being tossed into boxes
for some future day when I could finally tackle the contents.
Then in 2004 and 2005, our house was painted
so everything was boxed up and not all of it has been unpacked yet.
Not only did I toss items into boxes, I also
have many, many files on my computer that need sorted and read, and a decision
made as to whether each file will be kept, used, or deleted.
A couple years ago, I started to go through
some of the boxes. The contents were
both familiar and yet a total surprise.
In the boxes I found some truly timeless
treasures that are as inspiring today as they were when I first read and
clipped them out.
What really surprised me was the multiple
copies I had of some clippings. Not a
mere two or three copies of the same thing, I had six to a dozen of some of
them! Obviously the message in the
saying or story was something I really needed to hear and learn from.
I also found some items that I had no memory
of keeping, nor could I figure out what possessed me to save them as they don’t
speak to me at all, or are not something I believe in.
And that is what makes the sorting project
so fascinating. It isn’t totally about
the contents of the boxes, but rather discovering how I’ve changed and grown in
my tastes, beliefs, and outlook on life, while at the same time, noticing what
parts of me haven’t changed.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QqzulZkniGNVjMKuhhtVZ2pPqm86a3Gt/view?usp=sharing
To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.
