The sun rose as usual this Monday morning, with a gentle coral hue that turned briefly pinker and then resolved into the yellowish cast of regular sunshine. Not a regular Monday morning, though, I remembered as soon as I woke. I couldn’t help it: my brain was like an alarm clock, signalling that the inauguration would soon be underway in Washington D.C. I’d already decided that, like Michelle Obama, I would not attend, though of course I had no invitation to do so in person, only the voracious maw of television inviting me in.
It wasn’t that hard, actually, to resist the watching. I find it deeply unpleasant to see or hear the new president; I won’t bother rehearsing the reasons. But not thinking about it at all, well, that was harder. But I had my coffee, did my morning reading, ate breakfast, began to tackle today’s tasks.
High on the list was the need to dust. I’m very happy in my Tsawwassen apartment but honestly, I’ve never lived in a place (besides the Chaco of Paraguay in the season of wind) that gets dusty as quickly as this one, dust particles rising from the open rail cars of coal coming to the nearby port, I’ve been told, and of course when it’s beautifully sunny like today, the dust layers are even more obvious. So I did that, and I vacuumed too, and also, I attended a Livestream event with Rebecca Solnit and some guests, deliberately scheduled for this day. It scarcely referenced what was happening (besides the comment that the empty Washington Mall seemed a metaphor), but offered analysis and ideas about moving forward. She and her guests talked about resistance with tenderness, choosing a world of abundance rather than scarcity, spending time with art and music. One said, “Despair is a room we move through,” and another, in the words of the spiritual, “Ain’t gonna let nobody steal my joy.” All this and more. It was encouraging. (It can be viewed on YouTube as “The Way We Get Through This is Together.”)
While listening, I was working on a jigsaw puzzle. Puzzling is when I listen to podcasts or the like. One favourite is the CBC podcast “Front Burner,” a daily short (less than half an hour) conversation with an expert about some issue in the news. A podcast I’ve recently discovered is “What Matters Most” with host John Martens. There are more than 50 episodes to select from, including fascinating matters such as “Reading gender in Revelation” and “Leonard Cohen and the Apostle Paul.” When I walk, my podcast of choice is “This American Life,” stories that fill up about an hour, the perfect length for a walk.
It’s still January, so perhaps I can mention that while I don’t generally make resolutions, I did determine to read Melville’s Moby-Dick this year, and I’m doing it, two chapters a day, and quite enjoying it. Other books I’ve read recently and warmly recommend are Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Clara Reads Proust by Stephane Carlier, and Clear by Carlys Davies. And I’m through Part V of Jon Fosse’s 7-part Septology, which might not be to everyone’s taste, but which I find strangely mesmerizing and compelling.
And since it’s still January, I wish you all a very happy New Year.
How did YOU spend this (historically significant) Monday?
Borrowing Bones 
Your day sounds lovely, Dora. Stuart and I started our day with our first readings from the Anabaptist Community Bible, a book which arrived in the mail last week. We have read the introduction to the book and to each of the first chapters in the suggested daily readings — Genesis, Matthew, and Psalms. What an amazing project with voices from thousands of years ago right up to the present day. If you don’t yet have a copy, I highly recommend. Editor John D. Roth will be speaking at Goshen College Mennonite Church tomorrow night, on the anniversary of the re-baptisms in Zurich. The Jan. 20-21 juxtaposition of the inauguration, MLKIng, Jr. Day, and the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism is causing a lot dissonance in my brain.
There are 6 inches of snow on the ground and temps will be worthy of Manitoba winters for the next few days. Otherwise I would have been walking outside.
But I went to the rec center and played 4 or 5 games of pickleball and did a “farmer’s carry” (love that name) of 70 pounds around the weight room. While eating lentils and rice, we did watch the inauguration speech, which sounded a lot like a rally. Lester Holt described it as the most partisan inaugural of all the ones he has witnessed, and I would agree. I also noted the lack of an inaugural poem. Four years ago, Amanda Gorman raised all of our hopes.
My own reading this week was Natalie Babbit’s delightful children’s book Tuck Everlasting. Also Richard Powers’ Bewilderment (the ending knocked my socks off). I listened to My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. Now I am getting ready to plunge into The Overstory. Since you are tackling Moby Dick, you will enjoy this observation from a Richard Powers interview. (paraphrased) “The three classical plots of man v. man, man v. himself, and man v. nature had, until recent times, diminished to two plots because we thought man v. nature was something our technologies had made obsolete. Now, with species extinction a real possibility, the man v. nature theme has come roaring back, and along with it a different kind of novel.
Your day sounds full and wonderful, Shirley! Thank you for sharing it. And you reminded me of something I actually meant to mention, because it’s also been on my mind and creating “dissonance” as you say: tomorrow’s anniversary of the beginning of our Anabaptist tradition. Our pastor gave a sermon (in connection with Jesus’ baptism) of how we are downstream from our spiritual ancestors, and then related the story of the beginning that day when Grebel, Blaurock, and others were baptized. — I don’t have the Ana Bible but did participate in the reading. Thank you for the prompt to get it.
Thank you, Dora, for this. I too skipped the inauguration and the media analysis. (Although there were a couple very short peeks at social media.) I too watched “The Way We Get Through This is Together” and felt encouraged by the spirit and the resolve to continue building community and nurturing hope.
My first book of the year was Blindness by Portuguese author Jose Saramago–grim and profound. Now, I’m delving into The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, a book with a totally different tone. I’m awaiting my copy of the Anabaptist Community Bible.
Thank you Ginny for telling about your day and current reading. I’m glad to hear we were at the Rebecca Solnit event together. Even in these ways, community happens. I’ve read Blindness, grim and profound is right.
I wasn’t going to watch the inauguration but at the last minute I caved! Michelle Obama wasn’t there either! I just finished reading Radical Roots: A collection of Paintings, Stories, and poems Celebrating the 500th Anniverssry of Anabaptist Origins. The author and illustrator is my son in law Chris Friesen’s cousin. A beautiful book! I have also started reading Renaissance, a novel by Susan Fish. She’s a friend from Ontario who recently became assistant editor of the Canadian Mennonite. I love this book as it reminds me of a summer I spent in Germany at the Goethe Institute, gathering material for my MA thesis.
I’m curious about the Radical Roots book, must look that up. Also know about Susan’s book but have not read it. She has another book just out, I believe. Thanks for sharing your day!
I just ordered the second book from Susan Fish!
My Monday? I stuffed my fingers in my ears and ran when you-know-who came on the tv. My husband turned it on during his breakfast. I’d rather do errands in town. Barefoot. Then I skipped out of my art class in favour of having lunch and a good gossip with my daughter. I hugged her goodbye and sent her on the way to get home before the grandkids were out of school. And gave thanks that said kids live in this country. After which, I spent the afternoon at my desk, still grateful, and worked until late afternoon. On another note, I am a fan of Rebecca Solnit, and I’m sure I would have been interested in that Livestream.
I love the description of your day, had to chuckle. Yours sounds productive and just fine,
in spite of what was going on elsewhere!
Thanks Dora. We also did not pay any more attention to what was going on in Washington, DC, besides what CBC distilled for us. A little easier not having had TV for 12 years. We really find enough else to do.
Your comment about dust caught me. We also feel that, strangely, we deal with more dust in our condo of 19 years than we did when we lived on the prairies, even across the highway from fields.
As for Mondays, I am struggling through a comprehensive biography of Mordecai Richler, besides the latest issue of The Journal of Mennonite Studies and just got my distant relative Gareth Brandt’s Radical Roots. What I resolved again this year was to do the traditional 3 chapters a day, 5 on Sunday, reading The Word. being the inveterate student I am, I can’t help but summarize and make notes, pose questions. So, by Exodus 20 or so, I have nearly 30 pp. of notes…
But my wife and I are also busy making final plans for leaving for a Japan holiday Thursday, followed by a long week visiting Anne’s family in Taiwan. I have not been since my mother-in-law passed away and we took part inn her memorial events and then cleaned up our apartment there where she had lived alone since father-in-law passed in 2014.
All your reading sounds so wonderful, and I also applaud your studying and making notes as you read. A much better way to pass the day, especially yesterday. Wishing you a wonderful holiday in Japan and then Taiwan. And safe travels!