Friday, October 30, 2009

Thirst

So I have this problem. A drinking problem, but not the sort of drinking problem you are thinking of. I don't drink alcoholic beverages (this is not a judgment of those who do, just a fact of my life). No, my problem is probably just as troubling but very different.

I forget to drink. Water, tea, kool-aid, coke, you name it, I will forget to drink it. I can carry a Nalgene full of water around with my all day and not take a single sip. I can eat three meals a day and the only one I guarantee I'll drink something at is breakfast when I drink a full glass of milk.

As I'm sure you can imagine this is problematic. Every evening for the past week I've gotten a headache that practically made it impossible for me to function. I went to bed early and hoped that would make it go away. I did not know what the problem was. The headaches kept coming earlier, until on Wednesday I got a headache at 3 pm. By the actual evening I could barely function and I just simply went to bed. I could not figure out why until I talked to my parents and they mentioned "Maybe you are dehydrated".

It hit my like a ton of bricks. I probably drink about one and a half glasses of some sort of liquid a day. That's it. And that's not enough. It's not enough to function. I person needs way more than that.

So Thursday I made myself drink all day. I actually drank half of a nalgene. And yet I still forgot to drink anything at dinner.

Now a person might ask how does this happen? Don't you get thirsty? Don't you crave that liquidy goodness that is the only thing that can quench your thirst?

This is where the problem lies. I don't feel thirsty.

At least, I don't think I feel thirsty. I think the problem really is that I have been so thirsty my entire life that I don't know what it means to not be thirsty. I have ignored that thirst for so long it no longer means anything. It's normal. It's the way I am, all the time. So unless my thirst gets really extreme (which is rarely does and usually involves a lot of salt intake), I don't notice it.

I think my spiritual life is like this sometimes too. I'm living in such a state of thirst, such a state of need, that I don't even know it, because that is the status-quo. It's the way life is and I simply can't feel the need, the thirst. I don't know how to fix the spiritual headaches that come up, the debalitating doubt, because I don't know why its happening. I don't see that they are a symptom of my spiritual dehydration because I don't feel thirsty. I don't know I'm dehydrated.

Sometimes you have to make yourself drink. You don't feel the thirst, you don't feel a need, but you have to make yourself do it anyway. That's my only solution to my physical dehydration and my only solution to my spiritual one. I must make myself read my Bible, spend time with God, go to Bible Studies, and Church. I may not feel like it, because I may not feel thirsty, but I have to do it.

I'm not sure its possible to drink too much water (though too much makes my throat hurt - go figure). It is certainly not possible to have too much God in your life.

So quench your thirst.

Grab a bottle of water and your Bible and start drinking.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Old Friends, Prophecy, and Wheel of Time

It's been a long time since I've posted. I apologize, but if you don't know life at school is always insane. I spend every waking moment pretty much doing homework. Right now I'm sitting in the AE computer lab at Georgia Tech, freezing because they keep it way to cold in here, and writing this blogpost before I have to meet someone at 11. Fun times.

But I've missed writing here, so I've come to write something I've been thinking about a lot. The Wheel of Time.

I actually am rereading the Wheel of Time. I know I promised I would a long time ago, but low and behold I'm in book 5: The Fires of Heaven. I've averaged one book a week, I think, but my record was dominating the Great Hunt in two days. Granted Fall Break was involved in that. But it's just important to know that I really am reading.

Rereading the Wheel of Time is an experience. The last time I read most of the books I was 11. Basically it was many many moons ago. And I have all these memories and feelings about certain characters, though before I started rereading I couldn't really tell you why. I would tell you I hate Rand, I love Mat, I'm apathetic towards Perin, I miss Moiraine, and I think having three wives in insane.

As I reread the books its like being caught up with old friends. I remember that Rand was not always someone I hated. In the first few books I actually liked him. But as the responsibility, insanity, and Lews Therin Telamon taking him over, he stops being the shepherd I knew and loved and becomes the Dragon Reborn, who I hope does die in the last book.

I remember that Mat in the beginning is pretty despicable. In fact I really don't start to like him until about book 4, when the wholes in his memory get filled with his past lives. I love him speaking the Old Tongue and having the Dark One's own luck. I like watching him grow, knowing the great man he is going to become. Mat definitely wins the most improved award.

All I remember from my initial reading of the Wheel of Time about Egwene is that she is the Amyrlin and that she likes Gawaine. (Sorry about any misspelling). But rereading I watch as Egwene rises to power. I watch as her feelings subtly change from Rand, to Galad, to Gawaine.

I cannot fathom while I only passably liked Perrin when I first read it. Perrin is steady, reliable, can talk to wolves, and loves his wife more than life itself. By being reacquainted with him, I come to realize I do like him and I greatly enjoy his character.

Every character in the Wheel of Time is an old friend that I am catching up with. It's so interesting to know where they end up and see how they get there. To know what's going to happen and to see how they are warping into who they must become whether that's the Dragon Reborn, the Prince of Ravens, or the Lord of Manetheren.

One of my favorite parts is rereading the prophecy and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt how its fufilled. The first time I read through it I was like "oh, prophecy, cool". Now when I hit a piece of prophecy I'm shocked to realize I know exactly how its fufilled. Mat does indeed marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons, though it is not the relationship he fears and hopes it will be. It's so wonderful to actually know what Robert Jordan meant when he originally describes how Rand will be marked the Dragon Reborn.

I love rereading the Wheel of Time because every character is a part of my life. I love watching them grow and develop and I feel sad when they fall. I pity Rand for where the future takes him. I love Mat for the man he becomes. I adore Perrin for being the one character you can rely on. They are my friends, and they are all a part of me.

This post does not even really accurately describe how I feel. I hope to write future posts, better explaining my reacquaintance with these old friends, and how much I love the Wheel of Time.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

A Book Review: The Eye of the World

Title: The Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 657

Quality Rating: 9
Content Rating: PG-13

The Eye of the World is the first book of the Wheel of Time series, a series that has shaped my life in more ways than one. This first book is in epic story that takes three ordinary boys and throws them in the least ordinary of circumstances. Gripping from beginning to end, even on this third read of the book, I could not put it down. The characters are believable and have complex relationships. The Eye of the World is a must read for every fantasy fan, if not for every reader.

PG-13 for violence. There is some language, but it is essentially made up curse words. There is some hint at romance and romantic relationships, but nothing more than a PG level. This book could easily be PG, but there is some violence as there is in any fantasy book that has war. However, I read this book at the age of 11, and think it is enjoyable and fine for readers of all ages.