61. The Proximity Principle

Ever notice how close mama ducks keep their babies?

If you've been a regular reader of this journey at all you've undoubtedly discovered that I love books. Because of my mild dyslexia, this hasn't always been the case. In fact, reading for pleasure has been a relatively new endeavor for me. Part of the reason that I'm so gung-ho about it is because I aspire to be a polymath, a modern renaissance man. In the course of the last year of trying to decide a college major, I came to the realization that I'm not interested in specializing in anything in particular. I'd rather learn about as many things as possible. The best way to do that is to live life and to read. I'm seeking both.

For Christmas what I really wanted was an unabridged hardback copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. A good friend of mine obliged and unknowingly out did herself. What I ended up with was a 100 year old copy that came all the way from England! It is the best present I've ever received - it was exactly what I wanted and I didn't even know it! The problem? Between school, personal projects, and trying to get many aspects of life figured out I simply haven't made the time to read it.

Today I remembered a habit that I used to have. A number of years ago I was in an internship that allowed me to work in full time ministry while taking classes at the same time. The leader who was in charge of the group of guys I lived with did an object lesson to help us understand the importance of the bible - especially in full time ministry. For a month we had to carry it with us everywhere we went. If caught without it we'd have to do 300 push-ups. The point of this was not to enforce some legalistic habit or to make us beefy (though I could use it!). It was to help us understand that proximity plays a huge part in what we value.

There's an old saying that you can tell a lot about a man by what he carries in his pockets. It means that what he keeps close is what he cares about. This is what I like to call  the proximity principle at play. Whatever you keep nearby is what is important to you. This is true for items, hobbies, ideas, and especially people. This explains a mama duck's protectiveness and why grandparents have 50 bajillion pictures of their family. And why else do you think so rarely talk to that close friend you never see?

My new full time companion!

I figure that the principle can be used to our advantage - whatever you keep near you will become important to you and you'll make time for it. Proof: during that month of soreness and muscle fatigue I read my bible more than any other time in my life - just because I had it with me! I'm going to apply this to The Count. I want to find more time to read this great work of literature so I'm deciding to carry it with me everywhere. Today I was able to get some reading done while at the laundromat. Tomorrow... who knows? Maybe in a hammock sipping some sweet tea!

Your turn. What should you start keeping nearby to let it grow in importance?