Momma

My mom came to visit me this past week. It was great. She is probably one of my favorite people in the world. Thanks for being my mom, momma.

"i'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody."

that's my favorite quote from j.d. salinger's franny and zooey. i love it so much, but sometimes when i look at it, i can't help but think of some horribly cheesy youth group motto. anyways, the quote in context is beautiful. and i absolutely love j.d. salinger. here's the whole quote....

"I'm not afraid to compete. It's just the opposite. Don't you see that? I'm afraid I will compete- that's what scares me. That's why I quit the Theater Department. Just because I'm so horribly conditioned to accept everybody else's values, and just because I like applause and people to rave about me, doesn't make it right. I'm ashamed of it. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. I'm sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make some kind of a splash."
- Franny

if the only book by salinger you've read is catcher in the rye, then you should be ashamed. i didn't even like that book and he's my favorite author. i really recommend reading franny and zooey. or 9 stories. the first time i read franny and zooey was in the summer of 2004. if you know me, you know that was probably one of the worst summers of my life. i know this is a bit extreme to say, but i really think franny and zooey played a part in saving my life and restoring my hope in God. franny's spiritual crisis was strangely familiar to my own and i found comfort in her divine fictional turmoil.