Wow has this been a shitty week for blog posts. Sorry folks. I haven’t actually finished a book this week because (1) I started reading a memoir which always takes me longer no matter how good it is and (2) this has been a very busy week so I’ve had less time to read anyway. It was a bad combination.
But I’m writing this post from a hotel room at the beach and I spent most of the drive listening to an audiobook: Paper Towns by John Green. This isn’t the first time I’ve read it; that’s my rule for audiobooks. Otherwise I miss either what’s happening in the story or what’s happening on the road.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Margo Roth Spiegelman lately. I’ve been relating more and more to how fed up she was with everything and how desperately she needed out of her hometown. How the last string inside of her broke and everything felt flat. You’ll hear more about her and what I’m doing to reconcile those feelings between now and October. In the meantime, I’m trying not to forget Q’s lessons either.
I find it much more difficult to relate to him. He “likes that his life is boring” and “wants to have fun but not at the cost of his future.” Meanwhile, Margo abandons her life and runs away because she just can’t take it any more.
Sometimes I’m not sure I can either.
But there is a reason Margo chose Q. Q sees the beauty in the big picture. Q enjoys the little things and sees the magic in everyday life. Q says, “The towns were made of paper, but the memories were not.”
In a way, it’s how I feel about books: the stories may not be real, but the effect they have on us can be. Like how Margo Roth Spiegelman is inspiring me now.
I’m going to keep listening. I understand Margo. But I know I have a lot more to learn from Q.
As soon as I figure out what that is, I’ll let you know.
An Adventure a Day 