Happy Easter

“Bunnies are brown.
Bunnies are white.
Bunnies are always
An Easter delight.

Bunnies are cuddly,
The large and the small.
I like the chocolate ones
Best of them all.”
~an Easter poem (Bunnies)

Apparently Easter is a huge religious holiday. To me, it only means that everything is closed today (and damn, I didn’t go to the grocery store yesterday), and all the extra Cadbury Crème Eggs will be on sale tomorrow. I love those things!!

My parents are not religious people; their own parents even questioned their desire to be married in a church. One of my grandfathers was religious and attended services regularly. His brother attended services at a different church in the same town. I have no idea what variation of Christianity I am “supposed” to be. And I don’t much care. I don’t know a whole lot about any religions, but I would guess that my thoughts more closely resemble a religion(s) from Asia, not Europe. Or perhaps Animalism, Mother-Nature-ism, or Ocean-ism.

Sometimes I do wonder if I missed out by not going to church, because I don’t even know the stories of the Bible. I’ve missed one of the most widely read – perhaps the most widely read – pieces of literature. But does anyone actually read the Bible? Maybe I should just get the Cliff’s Notes version

Ugh. Cliff’s Notes. What a horrendous invention for the slacker masses. I bought one, once, in high school, although I can’t recall which book it was for. I just remember that the Cliff’s Notes contained the exact same discussion of meanings and symbolism as the teacher drilled into our heads in class. It was almost as if the teacher was using Cliff’s Notes as our textbook for the class. What’s wrong with reading a book for its own enjoyment? Why must we find hidden meanings? And did the author really intend all those meanings? I’ve long had my doubts (yes, of course, the Bible is the obvious exception).

I like to read. My current favorite author is Rick Bass who has written about life in the wilderness of Montana. I prefer his non-fiction, and his Winter has helped inspire a recent obsession with wanting to live in the rugged Rockies. I’ve also recently read What Color is Your Parachute, a book about job searching. Although filled with lots of good tips and information, I’m never going to find motivation while sitting on my butt reading a book. I also have two (unopened) library books about career opportunities in scientific fields sitting on my couch.