Ma-ma

In any case, that was a lovely week and I’m really enjoying my time living with the Christian boys. It’s nice having people around. I like sleeping in a bunkbed and having others in the room, but not right on top of me. It’s chill and they’re ever so open and inviting. The other day a girl came around just as one of the guys was leaving. He didn’t know her but he was immediately like, come in, come in. Then she was like, is so-and-so here? So-and-so wasn’t but how cool is that that the first response when a stranger comes the door just as you’re on your way out is to invite them in? There wasn’t even anyone else home, ‘cept for me and Harry. It’s all just assumed that everyone’s a cherished guest.

Not that I’m in danger of becoming a Christian, mind. And not that they mind that I’m not, or try and convert me, or I am them. But I have been to a few Bible study meetings and said a few things here and there. They’re such sincere and lovely types. So nice to be around moral people not interested in sex, just God and their belovéd Jesus. It’s interesting. I’ve learned a few things. Like the first meeting they were focussing on passages where Jesus called people to be disciples, and also other passages where people were told, no, don’t follow me, go home to your family, or, yes, follow me, but first do this (give away all your possessions) and the young man was sad because he couldn’t. Made me think how no one had really called me to do anything but that I’d done things like leave home and give away all my possessions just ‘cos I thought that’s what I was had to do to get what I wanted. Been a bit extreme, really. So that was a nice lesson.

Also, they like to have tons of fun, and get dressed up, and make loads of jokes, and giggle plenty. One guy’s really funny and he’s into doing comedy and makes up funny songs. He reminds me of another characterful Christian I knew a few years back, but nicer. One I didn’t handle so well. But this one I seem to be doing okay with.

I like too how just accept everything and don’t get into theological arguments. The only time I’ve voiced any dissent was yesterday when a young friend of theirs came over in a bit of an emotional state and I learned that part of his distress was being caused by beliefs I felt were a bit out-of-whack. Then it’s probably good to try and say something – you know, update that hoary old “word of God” – but if the rest of them are happy with what they believe who am I to say anything different? It’s not like I could lead anyone to a better place.

So that’s a nice observation to make. And in the meantime they ask me questions and little titbits of my past come out, as well as stuff already mentioned, like the healing. That aforementioned young friend has expressed an interest in it and he got a little sample yesterday when a headache was removed. How cool! After all these years those headaches still vanish so easily! And when I checked with him a few hours later it was still gone and hadn’t returned. Makes me wonder what miracles might be lined up to take place in the coming weeks. If some are, it could be quite exciting.

Saturday night we spent the early evening making “compliment cards” for the student revisers in the library. The idea is to dress up posh like a fancy waiter and serve them from a trolley to people who are deep in study saying, “compliments, sir?” as they go around. They’re on coloured card and such and we drew little pictures with felt-tip pens and wrote messages of encouragement and fun. There were maybe ten of us around the table and we made two hundred in all. I like it a lot. Then we had an evening of spoken word entertainment with everyone doing poems and songs and humour and I read two poems – “United States” and “The Supraliminal” – and also sang a song. Everyone was really encouraging and even asked for one poem twice. It’s about the first time I’ve read a poem out and I was surprised by the response. But I do like that sonnet of mine.

Another thing they’re planning is a ‘Campus Dash’ and there’s a video of it here. I told you they were fun. I guess I was supposed to be in the video but I think I was napping instead. Been napping a lot this week and it’s been good. So tired! But that’s because I have my cycling job every day and then play either tennis or squash or, as on Friday, go for a 3.3 mile run at 8 o’clock in the morning with my Christian housemates. One of them’s really good at running – runs a 5k in about 18 minutes and also runs half-marathons just for fun – but I more or less kept up with him most of the way. We left the other two behind and had a fun sprint finish. There’s life in the old legs yet! Although I was really done in after Saturday when I went straight from refereeing a game to a ninety-minute session of pretty hardcore squash. My hip hurts. Hope I don’t need a replacement. Although I think it might be less about muscles and joints and more about some dive I did where I crashed into the wall.

Today I feel a little bit like a baby. I woke up and said, ma-ma, ma-ma. I kind of like it. I’m probably typing like a baby too. I might make it something of a practise and go out into the world a bit more wide-eyed and innocent than I usually do. Could be fun. This blog entry was supposed to start with saying, “Let’s pretend life just began today. Let’s live each day as though it’s my first.” I like that spin on the whole mad, “Live each day like it’s your last” philosophy that I guess no one really does anyway. I know that if I lived each day like it was my last I’d get into some pretty mad things – and I certainly wouldn’t be going to work in two hours! So pretty daft, that. But live each day like it’s your first?

Ma-ma!