11-15-13 RMB Evolutionary Improvements
Dear Rita Mae Brown,
What better way to celebrate a Friday
than by finishing a good book. Tonight I read the last pages of Gerri Hill’s Hunter’s
Way. Her writing sneaks up on me. I pick up one of her books thinking
I’ll just read for a few minutes, and the next thing I know I am invested in
the lives of characters that I didn’t know existed the day before.
She writes of unique souls, likeable,
yet with some faults, revealing their personal struggles with enough clarity to
garner empathy. I do a double take, sometimes re-reading to see how she managed
to do that in hopes of improving my own works by emulation.
It seems easier said than done, to
learn from others, to take heed of their example and even to improve upon it. We
remember and remind one another of the greats, honorable figures in history,
relatives of note and fictional heroes. We write books about them and showcase
their lives in photos and film.
And then we stumble on, relearning
their lessons through our own mistakes. I often wonder why each generation must
learn so much. Shouldn’t we be born knowing calculus by now for goodness sake!
All kidding aside, it does seem like we are missing an evolutionary widget that
kicks in at some point, making us better. Just as the thumb was an improvement,
not that I’ve studied such things, but I heard that rumor, where is the
evolutionary nod that propels us towards being kinder, thankful and more helpful?
Maybe it is there, slowly working its
magic, and I am simply impatient. Kinder, grateful, helpful AND patient? I’m
asking a lot, yeah I know. But I heard another rumor, ask and you shall
receive. So. I’m asking.
Yours truly,
Loraine
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