Quotable: with Friends

1.  Sarah: "Marriage is hard, but worth it at the end of the day. Just like life."

2. Ingrid to Sarah: "You say a lot of quotable things."
Sarah: "Oh, just stick with me a little longer and I'll say lots of quotable things."
Ingrid: "Like that one."

3. Ingrid: "Charisma! Do you have the magical ability to not make a total mess when you're eating a peach?"
Charisma: "No! Do you?"
Ingrid: "Oh, no! I don't know how some people do it."
Charisma: "Me too! If you were on a date and had to choose between eating three peaches and spaghetti, what would you choose?"
Ingrid: "Hmmmm, which date is this?"
Charisma: "Third date. In a mediumly nice restaurant--let's say BJ's."
Ingrid: "What color shirt am I wearing? Is it white?"
Charisma: "It's taupe."
Ingrid: "That's a tough call. What would you pick?"
Charisma: "Peaches, because I like peaches more than spaghetti."

4. Ingrid: "We should make that our tagline: Ingrid and Natalie: keeping each from becoming psychopaths. Since 2003."

5. Ingrid: "I'm trying to not analyze as much and take action more quickly. Like, I was standing at Trader Joe's agonizing for five minutes over which dried mango slices to buy."

6. Friend: "It was the first time I felt convicted to flirt. I had to get out of there!" referring to reading How to Get a Date Worth Keeping at Barnes and Noble.

Forgive Me for Not Trespassing: a Confession

Lord—
save us from our adversaries
ourselves, who want
more than we were made for—
nay, not more, but less.
We believe Twinkies are what we crave.
We believe mud pies are better than holidays by the sea.

But why pray for Your kingdom?
Thy kingdom is already here—
At least the part that matters:
Assurance of eternity with You
And all the comforts of modern existence.
Insta-Internet, the portal to near complete fulfillment.
Why venture outside my bubble?
It would pop.

Earth is already close enough to heaven.
If it isn’t, we can always access a virtual version in the here and now.
The then becomes the now
And now it doesn’t matter what is real.

It’s much easier to flit through pixel and page
To another world—anywhere but here.

Forgive me for not trespassing—
I have stayed in my fort and made it a cottage—
Snug, secure, cozy.
Just perfect for me.
My neighbor I do not know, let alone hate enough to possibly love.

Lord—why hast Thou given us our body and our blood?
The flesh that reminds us all too clearly—
We are here?
For this is where we need You.

Take and Eat

Christ—
the Son became flesh—
how can we eat You?
Why should we—
if our bodies are to be despised,
castigated?

Who are You
in this moment of screaming agony
writhing limbs
seared flesh?

If not one of us,
then what are we?
Our bodies, merely matter?
Or spiritual...bodies?
If this, why eat
You?