Shabbat Shalom, Bill Bryson
I am always very excited to go to the bathroom these days.
The bathroom, you see, is where we keep Bill Bryson.
Well, not the guy, but his book.
Bill Bryson is an author that writes about everything. His most successful book is A Walk in the Woods, about his trek along the Appalachian Trail. But he’s also written about physics, travels in Australia, Shakespeare, Small-Town America and plenty more. The book I’m reading now, I am a Stranger Here Myself, is a collection of articles Bryson wrote upon returning to the States (Unpacking..) after twenty years in England.
Mr. Bryson is extremely funny. So funny, that I often find myself laughing out loud while, you know, going to the bathroom. (I always worry that our neighbor hears me. Bathrooms have great acoustics). He is also a fine writer.
But what makes Bill Bryson so endearing, I think, is that the theme he threads through all of his writings, is his being amused by the most regular, everyday things. He finds us and himself and everything that we all do and say to be fascinating.
Bryson loves words, instruction manuals, statistics and anything else that reflects the way regular people live. He is simply intrigued by life.
I am personally inspired by Bryson because I, too, love the seemingly inconsequential.
(To his credit, he also writes about the obviously consequential, like global climate change, conservation and immigration, but he always sees these big-impact stories through how they are manifest in and by everyday living.)
It is now Friday, when Jews around the world enter their Shabbat. On Shabbat, there are all these rules about what we are not supposed to do. The point is that we rest from being busy so that we can appreciate whatever’s around: obviously the big things like family and friends, but also smaller details of life like bread, books, the types of trash cans in the streets, the designs on buttons, excessive amounts of packaging or words we say all the time that in actuality have the oddest of meanings.
One of the crucial things about Shabbat is taking time to observe. We even say to “Observe Shabbat.” So sitting back and watching are core aspects of the day. We also say “To keep Shabbat”- meaning this time to observe is precious enough to hold on to.
So on this Shabbat, this coming weekend, let’s all be Bill Brysons. Let’s find really normal things and figure out why they are fascinating. Maybe it’s been a “regular” week? Well now’s the time to figure out what’s so darned interesting about what makes a week regular.
A tranquil weekend to everyone,
Yannai
-If you haven’t read “A Walk in the Woods,” I strongly recommend it. It is just a fun, fun read. You can read more about Bill Bryson and order his books from his website. (http://www.randomhouse.com/features/billbryson/flat/home.php)
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February 5th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Dear Yannai,
How about a comment about the Bracha, Asher Yatzer, which is a way of thanking Hashem for the seemingly ordinary bodily function that keeps us going? Would you say that most of the morning Brachot are expressing recognition of the ordinary daily absolutions and recognitions of Hashem’s blessings that we are specifically expressing so that we don’t take our lives and bodies for granted?
(No comment on thanking Hashem for not making me a woman) but hey-maybe someone up there didn’t like to make supper or do carpool! so you can’t blame them).
Keep writing! Love, Imma
February 6th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I hear you.
I think that one of the reasons we’re commanded to be thankful for ordinary things is so that we take the second to notice them.
A long time ago, the morning Brachot were actually said together with the action they paralleled. Like getting up and saying “Zokef Kfuffim,” “Who straightens the bent.” A healthy thing to do every once in a while, I think.
I’ll plead the fifth on the woman comment. (Although I will have you know that it was I, the husband, who cooked dinner last night.)
Thanks Imma,
Love you,
Yannai