Spiritual reading

   I came upon JERRY at Centennial Park, in the shadow of the Parthenon, the replica of that ancient temple of learning, and an appropriate symbol to invoke in kicking off a new blog about books and those that read them.

   Jerry was just on Chapter Two of Spiritual Divorce (2002), by Debbie Ford, a book he’d recently picked up at a used bookstore. He’d highlighted a number of passages already, including some dealing with the “law of acceptance,” which he summarized as having to do with our maddening inability to accept facts instead of fiction.

   “The book caught my eye because in my former occupation I dealt with people struggling with family situations,” Jerry told me. He described himself as an avid and constant reader with a wide range of interests. Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air is the best book he’s ever read, he said, and he loves the novels of Robert Ludlum.    

   His current occupation is aspiring songwriter. He developed his way with words as a motivational speaker for 23 years (“I wrote more speeches than I care to remember,” he said) in Los Angeles and Arizona.  He wasn’t up on any soapbox in the park, just sitting quietly at a picnic table and taking in the beautiful day.

   Whether or not he gets published, Jerry’s already left a legacy—he’s passed his love of reading on to his kids.

   “My 14-year-old daughter reads a ton,” he said. “My 18-year-old son—I worried about him for a while. I bought him the Hardy Boys and all the stuff I’d read as a kid.” (The Hardy Boys? Uh, Jerry…)

   “But then I realized he was reading a lot online. He reads about agriculture—he wants to be a landscaper. It bothered me that he wasn’t reading tangible things, but I’m OK with it now.”