I’ve found that life presents a series of bizarre paradoxes. One of the more profound of these paradoxes is the desire of everyone to fit in. We all want to belong to something, to feel at home in it—whether it’s a family, a group of friends, a club. But simultaneously, we each like to conceive of ourselves as unique, not like anyone else. We want … Continue reading On Rearranging My Classroom (Mundane Meditations Series)
My brain is a strange blend of wild ideas and OCD organization. On the one hand I am a dreamer. I love to envision how things could be and dream up ideas for how to make it happen. I like to find creative outlets and explore new ideas. On the other hand, my brain likes order and precision. I alphabetize all my books, don’t leave … Continue reading On Football and Folding Laundry
Not long ago I took a walk through the woods. My aim was to get some fresh air and some space from the craziness of life. I wandered for a while through the trees, thick with leaves that valiantly fought to grant me a respite from the oppressive heat. Soon, however, my path led me out into an open expanse and the full intensity of … Continue reading The Blueness of Transparency (Mundane Meditations)
By Christian Lingner Prefatory Note: Some portions of the following are a truthful fiction, meaning they communicate truths without necessarily corresponding with historical happenings. The exact opposite of most of modern journalism, now that I think of it…anyway. Near the end of the semester, people often emanate their true nature, momentarily abandoning or accidentally forgetting their usually pedicured exoskeleton, giving rise to revealing results from … Continue reading In Response to Two Grievances Against Water (Mundane Meditations Series)
I decided recently that I needed some fresh air, the kind you breathe in right off the leaves of the trees while ambling through the forest. As I wandered aimlessly along the path, I came at length to a clearing where I could see the brilliance of the deep blue, cloudless sky. I noticed to my left an old, yet apparently stable, wooden lookout erected … Continue reading Etched in Wood (Mundane Meditations)
One of the more ridiculous confessions of my life came not long ago at a professional development meeting. As I sat in a classroom taking notes, my pen stopped working. This annoyance had happened before, so I knew the proper technique to shake the pen, scribble in the corner, and move on. Yet it didn’t work. I tried again, and again, and sat amazed at … Continue reading On Running Out of Ink (Mundane Meditations)
Recently I reflected in my post “‘I’m Bored’ vs. the Cultivation of Wonder” on the first meeting of our newly formed Chesterton Society in Branson, Missouri. In that piece I discussed briefly my own realization, which lies at the heart of Chesterton’s Tremendous Trifles, that our lives should be characterized by making ourselves small and the world big and learning to wonder at the mundane … Continue reading Tremendous Trifles, Mundane Meditations, and Wonder in the Simple Things of Life (Mundane Meditations Series)
The Classical Thistle 