A few years back, on a bright, sunshiny day, someone knocked on my front door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and living in a rural mountainous area, it was seldom I had any visitors. Although solitude suits me, I was eager to greet my mystery guest. Who would it be? And why didn’t they just e-mail me?
After a few hellos, how are yous and nervous smiles, I greeted two men carrying books and brochures in their hands. The more confident of the two spoke first. “Wouldn’t you love to be living in a world where you, and everyone around you, were happy all the time?” Not being disrespectful of them or their presumptions, I said in all honesty, “Hell, no.” My response left them speechless. Their faces were frozen. Since I felt the need to elaborate, I said, “If I were happy all the time, that means I’d never learn a (damn) thing. And, after all, isn’t that why were here? To learn something from life? From the lessons we’ve been given?”
Those two guys turned out being quite nice. I invited them in, they took a seat, and I gave them some water to drink. They talked, I listened. I talked, they listened. I was curious to know what they were all about; looking at their faces close up made me realize how young they were. They believed that life’s answers came from inside the books they were toting. Several times they offered me a copy, several times I graciously declined. “I’ve worked hard to make sense of the life I’ve been given. I’ve come a long way. Every second of it happened for a reason, and I feel grateful that I’ve chosen to learn from it all.”
They left peacefully, realizing that I was “unconvinceable.” I think they even appreciated the loyalty I showed to my unique brand of spirituality. I must have scored points by having thrown in the G-word where appropriate.
While the two men/boys walked away, I again noticed the books in their hands. It struck me only then that we shared something significant, the belief that books possess the capacity to change lives. My selections may be as unique as my spirituality though; for me, the darker, the better. Only when the protagonist struggles has my (reading) time been invested well.
As a writer, I make an effort to include humor, happiness, success and love, but if I don’t acknowledge the flip-side, I have learned nothing and have nothing worth writing about.
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This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.
To learn more about Clint's newly-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, please visit his website: Clint Adams : No Time For Fear.
