I love being in Oxford. Every block seems crowded with history. The whole city is overpopulated with stories and significance. Most of it I'm oblivious to until its pointed out to me in a lecture or even a television show. Which i never have time to watch. And by never, I mean I watched a British show two nights this past weekend and its literally the first time I have watched a television show in Oxford! The show I watched is called Lewis, and it is a follow on series from an older classic British detective drama called Inspector Morse. I like it because it takes place in Oxford:) Its not unusual to learn something about Oxford over the course of watching a couple episodes. Although I rarely watch television, I find Inspector Lewis interesting because of the depiction of a character called Sgt. Hathaway. He is sketched as a seminary student turned policeman, and the portrayal of his faith and character are surprisingly positive and very textured. The show also has the Morse trademark of pessimism about humanity... a healthy challenge to the 'we're all basically good' narrative common today. And of course, I enjoy the seeing the stories set right here on my street:)
Speaking of my street, just five minutes down Banbury Road is this the Lamb and Flag pub, if you can see the red canopy further down the block in the above photo, thats it. This is one of the pubs frequented by a different Lewis...C. S. Lewis, and the Inklings, the society of writing friends to which he belonged. Whenever I walk by, I notice this street lamp, and think of the street lamp just through the wardrobe in the snowy land of Narnia, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I can't help but wonder if the city placed this light here on purpose, or if it stood here in Lewis' day, or... well, one can dream...
Speaking of C.S. Lewis, one of his famous quotes - and indeed one of my favorites- has become an inside joke of sorts among my friends. It is recited seemingly everywhere and so often that my whole class at best exchanges knowing looks with one another, and at worst breaks out in barely concealed laughter whenever it comes up. It is none the less a great favorite of mine, and I have it penned on my window... "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
We're already halfway through Trinity term- crazy how time flies. I try to take time away each weekend to just reflect. Sometimes just in silence and prayer, sometimes with a journal, always over coffee... this morning was one of those times. Loretta and I went to coffee at Maison Blanc, then shared the table in silence awhile, just pondering, processing, and reflecting. Coffee and journals at Maison Blanc may seem mundane, but its the stuff of life. Without such slow down moments, everything would rush by... too much to hold in one's hands. Life has to have spaces where you can soak it in, see the pattern, connect the dots, comprehend what you have heard.
Plans for the weekend include sleeping in (finally!) and beginning to work on another essay. Clearly I am feeling more enthusiastic about the former than the latter. But thats just life. I am still enjoying my studies- I just might need another solid sleep in before my body can catch up with my enthusiasm, thats all;)
