In 2016 I began a project to read the Bible, which I hadn’t looked at for almost 40 years. I was increasingly annoyed at its appropriation by zealots who were using highly selective readings to force their values on others. Reading it cover to cover would better equip me to understand and expose their hypocrisy – and as an avid reader of fiction and poetry, I also wanted greater insights into literary references sourced from the Bible.
I kicked off the year successfully, carving out almost daily sessions as I moved through the early books of the Hebrew Bible, the ones most of us can recite until we start to trail off, perhaps shortly after Numbers. But work and unforeseen family obligations intruded and I stalled in Proverbs.
Being in Maine for the week with DI was a reader’s gift: Productive Counter-Production took me from Proverbs to Hosea. I was able to curl up and spend hour upon hour with “the book.” When I needed to recharge I could stretch and look at the ocean, run around with a dog, cook or mix a cocktail to share, peer over a shoulder to see what someone else was doing, or have a conversation about family, faith, life, and politics spurred by the Bible.
I was tasked with sharing something from my reading every day at dinner, which encouraged me to think more broadly about how the day’s verses tied into contemporary life and politics. With my DesignInquiry pen and notebook, for the first time I began documenting passages from each book to share and for future reference.
Hundreds of pages flew by – the rhythm of the days and the books was intoxicating. Back in my hectic life I’ve struggled to keep my momentum. Now in Maine once again for three weeks , I hope to recapture some of the sense of protected time from Vinalhaven and to continue my journey through a text written millennia ago that still shapes who and what we are globally today.