Waiting for Godot

The play, Waiting for Godot, has many potential themes. Waiting for the unknown, the example of a marriage, the meaning of life, and our relationship with God, among many more. While it is a very confusing play, one thing is certain: Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for someone or something. Regardless they are waiting.

I think this is such an important idea. People are always waiting for something. There is always something in the future that people anticipate. For example people wait for an exciting trip in a few days, people wait to find that person they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with, for a much anticipated movie, a young teen awaits the day they can get their driver’s license, Christians wait for direction from God and for the ultimate day of His return. The list goes on and on, but the point is people wait. People wait just like Estragon and Vladimir wait for Godot. It’s the anticipation of the unknown. 

So many times in my life I have waited for the unknown, but there comes a point when you cannot wait anymore and you have to move on or do something about it. An example of this happening in my life is in the early stages of my relationship with Christ. It was so easy for me to pass up on a committed relationship with Him making excuses such as, “right now isn’t good timing, but once I go on this missions trip I’ll be good.” However, I began to realize that no matter what I waited for there was never a right time.

Maybe Estrogen and Vladimir need to stop waiting and start doing something?

Dr. Horrible

            Today in Introduction to Literature we watched a movie called, “Dr. Horrible.” It is about a man named Dr. Horrible and the love he has for a girl named Penny. One day Dr. Horrible goes on a mission and things to terribly wrong. His arch nemesis Captain Hammer saves Penny. Penny and Captain Hammer go on a date and Penny falls in love with Captain Hammer. Penny works at a shelter and Captain Hammer helps Penny raise awareness for the shelter. Dr. Horrible cannot handle this so he attempts to kill Captain Hammer. Things go terribly wrong and in the end Penny dies.

            I think the film is genius because it takes the current timeframe and creates a comedic tragedy full of humor and wit. The opening scene shows irony when Dr. Horrible gets a letter from a viewer that writes, “Hello Genius.” Dr. Horrible laughs and says, sarcasm is so overdone. The film is full of other scenes such as this where there is comedy, such as when Dr. Horrible is talking and four cowboys come into the background and begin to sing.

            This whole film is very creative and in a way everything is backwards. It appears that Dr. Horrible is the good guy and Captain Hammer is the evil villain when in reality Dr. Horrible is the one trying to take over the world and Captain Hammer is the one saving it. It is backwards because Dr. Hammer is portrayed as a gentle, sad, and genuine man while Captain Hammer is conceited and selfish. 

Lake Bonny

Today I went to Lake Bonny Park for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 50 minutes. So the requirements said, but as time passed I found myself desiring to be there longer. Observing things was so fascinating. A gator was floating in the water across the lake, a bird was basking in the sunlight not far away, hundreds of little beetles were floating on the surface of the water below, and lizards were scurrying across the dock. The weather was perfect. It was slightly overcast and had just gotten done raining so there was a chill and breeze in the air, however the sun was peaking through some clouds as it began to set, painting the colors of orange, pink, and yellow across the cloudy sky. In the distance I could hear sports teams jeering back and forth and the ring of the bell at Southeastern University signifying the change in hour from across the lake. Even though I sat secluded in “silence” there was so much noise and activity.

While sitting I read a few poems, but my favorite was Six Recognitions of the Lord. I liked one of the lines in the third recognition when Mary Oliver writes, “I lounge on the grass, that’s all. So simple. Then I lie back until I am inside the cloud that is just above me but very high, and shaped like a fish. Or, perhaps not.” It reminded me of all the wonderful times I’ve paused in life to take the time to enjoy the beauty in the sky, to make shapes out of clouds, and appreciate the creation’s of God. Mary Oliver finds the shape of a fish in the sky, but perhaps not. We are each entitled to our own opinions of the shape of clouds and so long as we search for the shapes I think that’s one of the best things we can do. 

Then I Pray.

The poem, Six Recognitions of the Lord opens up saying one of the favorite things I have ever read in literature. I read it and was captivated by its simplicity and the reality in the words. It says, “I know a lot of fancy words. I tear them from my heart and my tongue. Then I pray.” As a Christ follower I think this is such an important aspect for us to grasp. God isn’t searching for a long drawn out speech or big eloquent words. He just wants to hear our heart and for us to be pure in Him. It is the soul that Jesus assesses and that is what we need to work on fixing, not our vocabulary. I think in a way this goes hand in hand with nature for me. It ties together because when I’m alone in the woods, or anywhere for that matter, can I be open and honest and at peace with myself and who I am in my relationship with Christ. Can I sit still and be in awe of Him or do I find myself restless searching for a way to make myself look better? A person cannot be a hypocrite to themselves; they may be able to lead everyone else on, but when alone, there is no denying the person they are.

The question is, can you be alone with yourself? This is one of my favorite things to do actually. Recently I have enjoyed being on my own and learning more about who I am in Christ. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, and the impression you give others, but it always comes back to the fact that you must be at peace with yourself and Jesus. 

State of the Planet

State of the Planet by Robert Hass was a great poem to me. I love the line, “Poetry should be able to comprehend the earth.” A poem that brought to life earths true beauty would be the ultimate poem. I think that the earth is such a beautiful place full of the ability to heal the soul and it’s a disgrace that more people don’t appreciate it. There was another line that really spoke to me, “there is no silence in the world.” I experience this sentence every time I find myself alone outdoors. This weekend I was able to go hunting with my brother. We woke up early Friday morning and were out in the woods while it was still dark. As we sat there waiting for the first light noises surrounded us. First were the noises of mosquitoes all around us, but after I began to hear over that noise the woods were full of activity. The leaves were blowing in the wind, squirrels and other critters were scurrying across the forest floor. Noise is everywhere; we just have to be still enough to hear it.  Another line that really got me was when Hass talked about reptiles that “no human eyes has ever seen.”  This got me to thinking about all the wonders of the world that we don’t even know and can’t even comprehend.

There is a line in one of my favorite movies August Rush, and the young boy says, “Music is all around us, all we have to do… is listen.” I think that in the same way beauty is all around us, and all we have to do is truly open our eyes to see it.