I hope everyone is doing well. I still love this site and come here often to check for new posts. In the past I've especially enjoyed threads discussing the books and films, and those with riddles or quizzes about Narnia to solve. This place has been a great comfort for me while it has also challenged my thinking and deepened my spirituality.
I recently reread The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was pretty amazing. I cried at the end, feeling Caspian's frustration when he couldn't sail to the end of the world. Of all the adaptations, I particularly enjoy going back to the BBC versions for their charm, simplicity and innocence.
During this crazy year I read for the first time Francis Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden. I tried sampling the many film versions, but I could only enjoy the Zoetrope productions adaptation (of which I am particularly fond), which dates to about the same time as the BBC Narnia series. See:
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0108071/. Connecting with my inner child as Spring unfolded, through The Secret Garden, grounded me during the height of this year's insanity.
I am grateful Narniafans.com is still here and I hope to participate more. I've given up facebook and playing chess online for Advent and am starting to believe abstaining from these will become permanent resolutions. In the first week alone I am noticing a greater desire to read, pray and have meaningful discussions.
I am grateful to have some work during this pandemic. I still drive a school bus and Uber. But I gave up my other job of 6 years (on good terms) as a server in July when strict work regulations with masks caused me ongoing carbon dioxide poisoning. Also, the hedonistic and cut-throat nature of the hospitality industry was weighing on me. It is a relief to be away from there.
Whereas I was working 50-70 hours a week the past several years, I have had much more time to rest and recover this year. I am even sometimes sleeping away the dark circles under my eyes that school bus driving inevitably brings. Intense loneliness has been a challenge at times, but with God's grace and providence I am overcoming that. In addition to reading a lot more, I took up running again. Never before had I run more than a few miles at a time. In the spring I built up to 9 miles consistently. In the summer I switched to 9 mile bike rides to get a breeze in my face amid the Houston humidity. This fall I returned to running and while at the park one day actually completed a half marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Since I sometimes experience moderate depression, long distance running will actually shift my mood dramatically. It has been a huge help at no cost.
During Advent I am attending daily Mass and avoiding sweets. I settled back into living at home with my mother, who is 71, a few years ago. She has chronic asthma and is fortunate to be able to work both of her part-time jobs in counseling and social work from home this year via Zoom. Thanks be to God she is competitively compensated. My sister and her family have gravely disrespected my mother and refuse to acknowledge their mistakes. It has been an emotional roller coaster, but necessary to keep away from them, until "I'm sorry" becomes not just an expectation they have toward everyone else (even the innocent) but a part of their own vocabulary. They prove to be extremely unsafe to be around. In August my mom and I visited Florida (where I'm from) and we stayed in a gulf view condo! One day I did a fun beach hike at low tide to an adjacent island. I also got to spend a couple days with my dad and his family. I hope for more time to connect with him this coming year and want to be able to help arrange at least a small 70th birthday party for him in early May. Please pray for healing in the family.
I realize this is an overview and update. In the future, however, I will direct my postings throughout relevant, designated topics. Thank you everyone here at Narnifans for keeping this community alive. Be blessed!
