All I know

is that I know nothing. -Socrates


There was an unusual call to happiness this morning. I live right on a busy street on the poor side of town, and all too often I wake to the sound of someone's subwoofers shaking things off my shelf. But today it was a sparrow, perched neatly on my window sill, that not even my cat could scare away.
Sometimes I wonder of these things are blessings, a gift from some divine parent. Like when my parents would surprise me with breakfast on a Saturday morning. It refreshed the spirit, even this morning when, for all intents and purposes, I should be on the bathroom floor in the fetal position after last nights libations.
I know I believe. But the hardest part is beginning that dialogue with the Divine. In the Baptist church I grew up in, you just had to tell Jesus you were sorry for everything you'd ever done. Or not done. But I think that's unfair. Nothing I've done, I've done with the intention of hurting another person. And to me, that's the only true sin. And even then, it's for that person to forgive me, not the onlooker. If you bump into someone's car, you don't apologize to the other people at the scene.

To what, then, must we aspire? This, and this alone: the just thought,
the unselfish act, the tongue that utters no falsehood, the temper that
greets each passing event as something predestined, expected, and
emanating from the One source and origin.
-Marcus Aurelius

The longest journey

is the journey inward.

I've found myself at an interesting point in my life; I'm a year from college graduation, which is something to be both celebrated and feared. There are many avenues that I could travel once I've graduated, though I'm not sure any of them would correspond with my Classics degree, and having my heart and mind agree on one will, most likely, be the toughest decision I've made.

I've begun filling out the massive application to the Peace Corps. I think that experience is hardly one I could pass up, even in light of the recent death of a Peace Corps operative in the Philippines. But what happens after my 2 years are through? I come back to the States a 27 year old with a bachelor's degree in classical culture and $6,000 to start a new life? I don't know if that's the best way to start my 'real life'.

There's also Teach for America. Though I would be placed in an underprivileged school, and most likely deal with kids that are, well, hard to deal with, I would end up with a Master's in education. And it goes without saying that that provides me with more opportunities. But, from what I understand, TFA is rather selective, and I'm not sure that my accomplishments throw me at the front of the line.

On top of these rather monumental changes, I've recently been doing a spiritual overhaul as well, looking at new/different religions that might suit me. Christian Gnosticism has most of my attention right now, lending itself to many of the ideas about God that I already had, which is rather exciting for me. And that, too, could lead to a future, as the specific church I'm looking into has a vocational path into the ministries.

Perhaps I'll just continue working at my pharmacy and come home every night to my cat and a glass of milk.