LO: L52

Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

Ecc 12:12

Just finished Living Oprah by Okrant. Quick, easy read, full of great lines and wonderful insights about popular culture's influence on our lives. And yet at the end of the book my reaction was, "duh." Living up to others ideals is exhausting. Yep. No brainer. Let me 'splain. Okrant determined that she would follow every directive Oprah gave from her show and in her magazine. She watched the show daily, read the mag cover to cover and used the web-site as a encyclopedia for "LO" (i.e Living Oprah). And her year was exhausting. She lived and breathed legalism (following the way of Oprah), changing her looks, activities, habits and decor.


I've been contemplating who I admire enough to try to emulate as much as Robyn and OL. Honestly, nobody living. I'm not a popular culture follower- we haven't had television in our home for years. I shop once a week for food and gas. I've been to the mall in my fair city once, the first week we lived here. I've probably done more shopping since the fire than in the past couple of decades combined. We get a handful of magazines, all of them gift subscriptions from friends and family, never get the paper and only recently got a library card. I'm always the last to watch any movie and we tend to veer towards historical documentaries anyway. My unspoken motto has been, for many a decade, "if it's popular, it must be flawed." I've missed out on a couple cool things due to this, but not much. We still read an exhorbitant number of good books, listen to awesome, awe-inspiring music, eat well and can converse intelligently with others. So, Okrant is starting at a place much, much different than where I live. She's a popular culture follower and I'm...not.


Still, the only person I came up with to try to model my life after their directives is Jesus. I have a red-letter Bible but, honestly, I'm just not there to do all He says each and every day. So, I'm really glad the phrase, "new mercies every morning" is in there." Cause yessireebob, I need em.'


I'm a little fed up with the 52 books thing. Like Robyn's year of OL, I'm feeling pressured and a vexed by my year of L52 ("Living" 52 books a year). But, like Robyn, I doubt I'll throw in the towel. Too stubborn. I just need to re-focus and re-direct. Less poplar lit and back to what feds me. So, any good suggestions for a good read- something inspiring and not too cheesy?