I asked my daughter if she wanted to play a board game, and she instead elected to read a book. So as I continued to draft my 298th Destined-To Be-Unread-And-Sent-To-Trash email of the day, I glanced over at what she was reading. And to my surprise, I observed a copy of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea!
“How’s that book?” I asked her.
“Pretty boring. It’s just some guy fishing,” she replied. This was my precise analysis of the “classic” as well…my offspring is clearly a budding literary genius. She continued. “But since they say my reading level is like between 7th and 8th grade, people want me to read chapter books.”
A few minutes later she was back to reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and I don’t blame her. And I think this illustrates the elusive balance between necessary maturation and societal conformity. We need to challenge ourselves in order to grow…and yet “just doing something because you can” or “because it’s the next step in the 25 year-plan” often leads to a robotic existence devoid of true life. We must continually ask ourselves whether expectations are in line with reasonable developmental milestones…or if maybe these “normal landmarks” are insidious attempts to sequester innovation into a bell-shaped box. Oftentimes, the answer is far from clear.
So it leaves us back at Proverbs 3:5-6. Splash some vivid color onto the fabric of your life as you trust God to guide your path. But just because you reach a certain age doesn’t mean you need to stop doing the things that bring you child-like joy. Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to be…lame. And even if you have an impressive Reading Level, I don’t think you need to feel guilty if The Old Man and the Sea never makes your list of favorite books😊
