Thursday, October 31, 2013

What Really Matters

      This was an essay on what really matters in life for my Intro to Lit class at NSU, taught by Prof. Semrow. The extremely long title I saddled on this piece was "A Tree Standing Quietly in the Field with a Song in its Heart, Seeking to Help Others".

            I don’t know much about my family history, unfortunately.
Mostly English/Scotch/Cherokee farmers from eastern Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky on my mom’s side, gradually moving west into Oklahoma with the railroads coming into the territory after the Land Rush. No one knows anything about my dad’s side of the family, but they came from North Carolina or Georgia, western Kansas and southeast Colorado. Pretty sure there’s Irish blood in there somewhere, family legend says from a band of pirates. We’re related to Thomas Jefferson and Tom Coburn, which is sort of interesting. But anyway, for the most part we just came from ordinary hard-working people, seeking to take care of their families and pay the bills on time. A storytelling gene from Mom’s side is a tremendous legacy to receive, as well as humor, but those don’t necessarily mesh very well with the intense drive to succeed, which came through Dad’s people. 
Doing some research on what my last name means, a full translation would come up roughly to “A second pale green pine tree in the western meadow by the rooster’s creek.” A tree just kind of stays still and observes the world go by, which in a way fits my life and place in the world so far. I’ve always loved telling or reading good stories, it’s why I plan on working in journalism, which is about telling the news of our daily lives in a clearly-understood way. And also, it sounds like a more realistic way to earn a living than by trying to be a novelist full-time. Stories are the most vital teaching tools in existence, keeping and sharing tales to children forms a conscience, so to speak, hopefully giving them insight into how to live their lives. G.K. Chesterton wrote eloquently about this in his essay titled “The Ethics of Elfland”, far better than I could. One of the essays I wrote for Comp II last spring was based on this premise, proving that it is something I measure as sacred.  Trees are covered in a thick, sometimes scratched and scarred coating of bark, keeping the elements out. It takes a while before I feel comfortable around people most of the time. Suspicion comes easier than trust.  
Like the Giving Tree in Shel Silverstein’s book, I’ll try to do everything I can to help those I care about. Helping others would be one of the driving forces behind my life, I guess, one of the things I try to do.  Whether that’s by offering advice trying to guide friends through problems they may face, or encouragement and prayer, I’ll try to lift their spirits or assist in some task. That’s why I care so much about serving as a counselor each summer at a church camp near Springfield, Missouri. Also, volunteering when possible at homeless shelters, doing those behind-the-scenes duties so the full-time people can spend more energy aiding the folks who really need it. While only truly homeless for a few days, still, I know what that’s like, having been through it, and so when I can I try to repay the aid we received by helping those in the same situation.
Music can be a great teaching tool, as well as a way to minister to others and preach truths effectively. Much like poetry, lyrics must be forceful and compact in order to leave their mark and help you remember them, which is why hymns are so wonderful, the way they can explore the depths of theology. I play guitar and mandolin, and sometimes sing and write songs, it’s a part of how I live, one of the ways I try to serve Christ.
Another thing I will eagerly choose is to spend time with animals as much as possible, taking care of them and studying their habits and mannerisms. Cleaning would be another, whether that’s from being part of a messy family, I’m not exactly sure, but life runs more smoothly when things are organized. Attempting to spend money wisely would also be something highly important, to keep enough laid back in case of unexpected emergency or disaster.  
There’s five of us kids in the family, but occasionally I may say that I’m the oldest of six. And in a way, that’s true. Between me and my goat-raising sister Courtney was Lindsay. I never got to meet her, she was a miscarriage, but she would have been about a year younger than me. Often wondered what life would be like if she lived, that’s part of the reason my family is highly important, we have to treasure the time we have with them before it’s too late. Cancer took my grandma when I was eleven, that hurt so much, providing another reason to be thankful for those I care about. Sometimes, though, family can be unrelated; friends counted as almost like siblings, people from church like grandparents or aunts and uncles.
Gatto said that some aspects of what defined us are family history, what’s sacred, acts of affirmation and acts of refusal. One of the things I will try to avoid is yard work, because with poor eyesight that can be very dangerous. Also, major home repairs, like plumbing or carpentry, because I am ignorant in those areas. On a more serious note, dating for dating’s sake, or having sex pre-martially. If I’m going to date someone, I need to be able to realistically envision possibly being married to them. And whenever I do get married, wouldn’t it be easier to start that partnership with as little baggage as possible? Life itself will be hard enough a challenge to deal with together. Besides, Scripture is very clear on that point.
This is just a stab at trying to explain somewhat who I am and what matters to me, these types of essays are always somewhat difficult to write. If it was my blog it would probably be much easier, but on an essay there’s always that nagging question “Is this too personal? Are they wanting to read this type of thing?” But you said to be honest, and so I tried to answer those questions. I’m just a student trying to survive college and whatever else young adulthood brings, standing here quietly in my field of Tahlequah and trying to encourage those I come across.

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