Three Beautiful Things 02-23-2025: Wide Ranging Conversation on ZOOM, Reading *Bridge of Birds*, Confronting Human Darkness

1. Diane, Bill, Bridgit, Val, and I jumped on the ZOOM this morning and fell right into wide ranging and deep conversation about everything from life after retirement to the complications of a sudden death in the family and the importance of making arrangements for death before it happens to the Episcopal Church  to the importance to ourselves and those around us to find joy in our lives. 

2. A while back, on Facebook, Bridgit and Diane both wrote about their enjoyment and admiration of a fantasy novel set, in the author's words, "in an ancient China that never was". The book's title is Bridge of Birds. The author is Barry Hughart. I bought a copy about ten days ago and, inspired by our ZOOM conversation today, I started reading it. I honestly don't remember the last time a read a book in the fantasy genre.  So, now, I'm into this story of a young man named Number Ten Ox who puts his sage master, Li Kao, on his back and together they head out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure for a plague that struck the village Number Ten Ox lives in. 

I'm about 100 pages in and already they've had perilous and humorous encounters with unforgettable characters on this adventurous journey.

3. The books I read from July to January or so on Leah Sottile's list were about 95% grim, with a little bit of humor here and there. Most of the time, though,  I was reading about dark and violent things people do. Likewise, Saturday I finished listening to Sottile's podcast, Hush, and it was a study of the darker elements not only of crime but of law enforcement and the judicial system in Oregon. 

Bridge of Birds is also, in part, a dark book. It features fantasy characters who are monstrous, but, at the same time, I sense that what drives Number Ten Ox and Li Kao to go in search of the Great Root of Power is noble, it's in service to those who have fallen ill, and this nobility emboldens them to confront the perils they face in this journey. 

So, this book is not an escape from the dark aspects of human life, but it's not solely focused on what is dangerous, cruel, greedy, and exploitative in the world. 

I'm eager to find out how Number Ten Ox and Li Kao's journey progresses and how it concludes.