I have always loved reading, and as a kid you could find me curled up under the lamp by Gram’s chair reading in the evenings. I’m partial to old westerns, with Louis L’Amour being one of my favorite authors. I especially love his Sackett novels. I mean, who doesn’t love a rugged, handy, handsome man? Hmmm, maybe that’s why I keep Jared around? These easy reads are not only enjoyable storylines, but they’re set in an era that has always deeply intrigued me. I love the idea of the old west, and the free, wild lifestyle. Oh the pretending and stories I made up when I was a kid out in the hills! My imagination was always much too vivid, books being fodder.
Reading was always encouraged by my parents, who you can catch with their nose in a book whenever they have free time. Coincidentally neither of my parents like, or really watch, TV. No TV, means more time for reading and spending time outside. In the event you don’t believe me (I doubt it, but this is a fun anecdote so I’m going to include it), when I was in middle school my dad came inside and was peeved that I had my ass parked on the couch. He made it clear I could either: go outside and help him, play, or watch John Wayne movies. At which time he promptly ripped the cable out of the wall. Adios. Buh-bye. See you never (except at Gram’s, hallelujah). While a bit dramatic, he made a point. One that I’d like to get back to.
Today, I don’t have the Kool-Aid man ripping the cable out of my wall, so I don’t read as much as I used to, or would like to. But, I’ve made a point to read the classics. There is so much to be learned from these books – history, culture, and life lessons. The fashion, linguistics, and amenities may change over the centuries, but human behavior doesn’t vary much. The basic lessons learned in one era can typically be applied to others. I also want to be sure I am well-read and have the foundation that classics offer. Classic novels are the basis of so many references in today’s culture, that I want to be sure I understand and soak them all in.
The first on my list was Gone with the Wind. It spoke to me on every level and had that old-timey setting I love. But more than being just an excellent book and storyline (and pulling at my heart strings), it became clear to me who’s attitude I want to embody.
While I know it’s not healthy to want to be someone else, hear me out –
Mrs. Melanie Wilkes. The kindest, most genuine soul ever written about. I love Scarlett’s spirit and survivability, but Melanie’s sweet demeanor and inability to see the negative in anyone, are most admirable. I love that she believes and sees the good in people so deeply, but is able to maintain a sense of realism, a backbone, and her own opinion. She is able to balance benignity and graciousness, without being blind to the facts of life. Regardless of Melanie’s monetary status, her attitude remains positive and giving. She is always looking to help others, do for others, and is unobtrusively a leader to those around her.
There are few people in life who have a heart and soul as pure at Melanie’s. I know my first instincts are not always those of benevolence and positivity, but it doesn’t mean we can’t retrain ourselves. If we all strove to be just a little more like Melanie, how nice would the world be? If we all cared a little less about money, clothes, followers, and status, and a little more about each other, what a place we’d be in. By learning to shut down negative thoughts about others and look for every possibility of good, we’d save ourselves frustration, embarrassment, and simply put, being wrong. I know I find myself drawn to my friends who are “rays of sunshine”. I’ll always need them to redirect me, but what if I didn’t just seek those qualities out in other people, but learned to embody them more myself?
I hope we all strive to be a little more like Melanie, and choose to be the ray of sunshine in someone else’s life. You never know who needs it.
“Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” -Plato
Beer in a Martini World 