Nook of the day

Ah, finals week. The joys of deadlines, the highs and lows of projects, papers, exams, and final assignments.

Let us all take a deep breath, inhaling all of the fresh air (i.e. stank moldy book air of the library) and exhale all of the tension that is already building in our neck and shoulders.

So, as this ever-anticipated week commences, today I am surprised by a beautiful gift from the Lord (and from the UGA library's architects):





That's right, folks, in this giant clumsy building, gluttonously stuffed with knowledge, flooded with torturous florescent lights, and void of any natural light, I have found... a nook.

Who knew that libraries even had nooks?

While walking down the endless aisles of musty hard-backs, I found myself unwilling to sit in the creaky wooden chairs at the scratched up shiny tables amidst the never-ending rows.

And so I wandered.

Until I found myself walking along the back wall of the 6th floor. Philosophy section, I think.

It is along this lonely wall, in a forlorn pocket of this desert library, that I found the perfect oasis in which to study.

So while every other exam-laden student in this massive building looks at this:






Or this:





I get to write my papers while viewing this:



And this:

(Uh huh, that's Stegman Coliseum in the middle.)


In discovering this little blessing of (natural) light, I have decided to share my new-found treasure - via grainy camera phone pictures - with you beautiful folks.

Because isn't that just like life?

So many people on campus, and in the world, are in search of some light, some meaning, some purpose. Most of them are content to set themselves in the artificial light of philosophy, literature, or New Age Mysticism. Most of them have become accustom to the smell of worldly knowledge and the stank of moldy theories.

But lets bring it a step closer: How many of us, as Christians, are willing to accept the artificial light of our own knowledge instead of searching for the "lamp" God's Word? How many of us turn inward and search within ourselves (or our friends) for the answers to our questions and problems?

My prayer today is that I will never stop searching for the Light of Christ, that I will never be content to sit in the creaky wooden chairs of the world and accept that the four walls of man's understanding are all that I will ever receive. I pray that I will always continue to search until I find that "nook" - that small window into Heaven where there are no questions - only light.

But for today, my searching is confined to academic articles analyzing democratic development in the Republic of South Korea. Yippee. (Can you taste the sarcasm? It's as thick as pea soup.)

So, armed with my trusty cup of Joe and my favorite pair of reading glasses, I'm off to conquer the world of academia. (That is, if I don't get mauled by the no-less-than-four people who have bee-lined to my "nook" and then turned in dismay as they discovered that I am already here.)

I'm blessed, folks. Blessed to find this nook.