A while back I asked a friend over to see a movie.
“I’ve seen it.” She replied. “Would you like to see it again, I asked?” Her reply was negative and I thought on it a while.
If I had refused to do some things twice I would have lost out on a lot of wonderful experiences. I think of all the songs I have sung…once is never enough. Who could refuse to sing “Silent Night” at Christmas, just because they sang it last Christmas?
Similarly, with books. I love reading old favorites. Right now I am plowing through Jan Karon’s Mitford series. Like a school reunion, I am meeting old friends and enjoying again their unique personalities. It’s fun.
And similarly I like re-watching movies. Sure, I know the plot and how it all ends but sometimes there is a certain kind of peace in that. I can get caught up in new movies and find I get anxious and want to just turn them off and forget them… (at times I do just that.)
And who could refuse to eat a piece of chocolate cake just because they had once tasted chocolate cake? Not me!
I have actually heard someone say that they went to church once and decided they would not go again. It just didn’t appeal to them. Sad, so sad.
And yes, there are times when I have dozed a bit during the sermon. (Don’t tell George, our minister.) Usually it was because I’d had but a few hours sleep the night before and like warm arms around me, I find the church a place to be at peace and relax.
But sometimes a once in a lifetime event is quite sufficient…like the exhilarating balloon ride I had some years back…exciting yes, but not one I think I want to repeat.
But memories can be revisited, lift the spirits and still bring a smile. One day my husband came home from work saying a lady had come into the office wearing a t-shirt that said “So many men, so little time.” He said he could hardly keep a straight face as he explained the travel preparations he had made for her trip east.
In Ecclesiastes 12:12 it says of the making of many books, there is no end. Good news for us readers. I have often felt like having a T-shirt that says “So many books, so little time” but I doubt that I could keep a straight face all the time I was wearing it…just too many memories.
Walking down memory lane can be fun…and walking down that lane twice can be twice as much fun…just try it.
Photo by Wonderlane via Flickr, CC 2.0
