My Story (Whatever It May Be)

I decided to relegate my self-help and introspection posts to Mondays. And yet, as Trout Fishing in America (the Last Days of Pompeii) fiddles from my computer speakers, I realize what better place than this useless cyberwasteland to explore my story?

I have an idea I don't yet know. It deals with magic, youth, the Gospel, faith, imagination, hope, and predominantly fun. There are stems from John Piper's Desiring God: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." From Jim Henson to Dr. Seuss to Shel Silverstein. Movies like Big Fish and fairy tales reach into the realm of which I speak. Trout Fishing and They Might Be Giants touch upon it from time to time. It's in Scripture - the faith of a child, seeing things through a child's eyes - even with my quick on-line concordance, I didn't find the passage I wanted. (I sincerely hope that isn't like "Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to" or "God helps those who help themselves." Bumper sticker theology sucks.) Jesus told the disciples to let the children come unto him, and that's kind of where I'm going.

My favorite Disney movie has always been Peter Pan, and it's because it's painfully sad. Wendy is one of the most tragic characters ever written. Responsibility clutches us as we grow/mature/marry/multiply. With each new burden, we lose the grasp and vision of some of what we had - the miracles of discovery, the jubilance in novelty, the belief in wishes...

Not that I want to relive my youth. I did it almost perfectly the first time around, and I can't help but think I'd screw it up if allowed a second run through.

But my story requires the magic of miracles and accepting the impossible. I don't know any of the characters, the setting, the situation, or even a line of dialog. What I know is when I finally write it, I'll know it. It may be agonizing surgery trying to transfer my ethereal sense of fun to the page, but it will be worth it.

Fun is crucial. I haven't yet located the passage where Jesus commanded us to have fun, but I'm still searching. If light is extinguished (as it so often is), nothing remains.