Real Pleasures
In The Screwtape Letters, by my favorite genius C.S. Lewis, Uncle Screwtape, who is a senior devil, berates his young, inexperienced devil nephew (Wormwood) for allowing his "patient" to go on a walk through the wood, and for allowing him to read a book he really enjoyed because he really enjoyed it, and not merely just to sound smart to his friends.
How could you allow him a Real Pleasure! he seems to be screaming. They had just spent a good deal of time enticing the "patient" into thinking that irony, materialism, clever conversation, etc, were pleasures, but after enjoying a Real Pleasure, such as a walk through the old mill country, the patient was sure to see through all that now. It was a huge blow for the devil.
Sigh. Since reading that chapter a few months ago I have instituted several Real Pleasure practices daily. One is to put my feet in nature. Either sand or flowing water or grass or climb a tree barefoot. And I must do it for the sake of doing it and not to put it on FB, Twitter or Instagram. The phone stays at home. Of course, I had to include one for the today. :)
Second, I read a book or a poem or write for pleasure. It must not be writing for a blog or for anything work related. I am a writer first and foremost. If you take everything away from me, I will still be a writer. And when writers are not writing, their soul begins to dry out and crack. Though I write a lot, for several years it was not the stuff I most enjoyed writing. After finishing our book in December 2011, God very specifically told me to write for my own pleasure again. I felt happy about this--like I was released from a great, but intense calling. Now I understand why He was so insistent on my enjoying a great pleasure of mine. BTW, if you are interested in reading some of my childhood memoirs or poetry, you can visit CartoonPhysics.blogspot.com. You might even find it to be a Real Pleasure.
It has been very easy to get seduced by busyness in the past. But I have vowed never to be seduced again. Not when I can enjoy Real Pleasures. Here is a picture of the 5 minute dance party I have with my daughter at least once per day:
Oops, I guess I didn't get the camera out.
How could you allow him a Real Pleasure! he seems to be screaming. They had just spent a good deal of time enticing the "patient" into thinking that irony, materialism, clever conversation, etc, were pleasures, but after enjoying a Real Pleasure, such as a walk through the old mill country, the patient was sure to see through all that now. It was a huge blow for the devil.
Sigh. Since reading that chapter a few months ago I have instituted several Real Pleasure practices daily. One is to put my feet in nature. Either sand or flowing water or grass or climb a tree barefoot. And I must do it for the sake of doing it and not to put it on FB, Twitter or Instagram. The phone stays at home. Of course, I had to include one for the today. :)
Second, I read a book or a poem or write for pleasure. It must not be writing for a blog or for anything work related. I am a writer first and foremost. If you take everything away from me, I will still be a writer. And when writers are not writing, their soul begins to dry out and crack. Though I write a lot, for several years it was not the stuff I most enjoyed writing. After finishing our book in December 2011, God very specifically told me to write for my own pleasure again. I felt happy about this--like I was released from a great, but intense calling. Now I understand why He was so insistent on my enjoying a great pleasure of mine. BTW, if you are interested in reading some of my childhood memoirs or poetry, you can visit CartoonPhysics.blogspot.com. You might even find it to be a Real Pleasure.
It has been very easy to get seduced by busyness in the past. But I have vowed never to be seduced again. Not when I can enjoy Real Pleasures. Here is a picture of the 5 minute dance party I have with my daughter at least once per day:
Image not found.
Oops, I guess I didn't get the camera out.
love this. just what i needed to read today.
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