Three Cups of Tea - or One Big Foot in My Mouth

I usually overeat at book club meetings – things like Kristen’s baklava are just too irresistible. For our next meeting, however, I won’t be eating any food because my foot has been firmly placed in my mouth. Why, you wonder? Because having only read (and then reread) the first 70 pages of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin I made a total judgment of the entire book - I pretty much trashed it. But I couched my trashing with, “I love the message, I agree with what Mortenson was trying to do but I can’t stand the hero worship on the part of the author and the lack of responsibility Mortenson shows in the beginning.”

Well, I should have kept reading… and I’m so glad I did. I’m not sure if the writing style suddenly changed after the first 70 pages or if the enthusiasm and passion of my fellow book club members spurred me on… but when I got home from book club I picked up the book and started reading it again. Sure there are things that I, as an editor, would have taken out or done differently with the book, but overall I am heartened by this book in a way I haven’t been since March, 2003 when the US began Operation Iraqi Freedom. Maybe there is a way to make a difference in the lives of people – and it isn’t by forcing our values and way of life onto others – but to provide them with access to education that will help them see the good in others.

At the same time, we in America need to continue building understanding toward others. After watching a CNN feed of the bombing in Baghdad, Brigadier General Bashir Bas of Pakistan tells Mortenson, “You have to attack the source of your enemy’s strength. In America’s case, that’s not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The enemy is ignorance. The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever” (p. 310). Could we just try working on things that way for once? Please?!

So, if you promise to try to wade through the first 70 pages of Three Cups of Tea and then take the message to heart, I’ll try and swallow the foot I earlier placed in my mouth.

Mocha and Scrabble

Usually I'm not a big board game player - it might have something to do with the fact that I'm married to Mr. Competitive and for him the word game is synonomous with "it's all about winning." He's the guy that when I could talk him into running three miles with me he'd take off sprinting while I settled in for the long jog. A block later he'd be walking and I'd still be jogging my usual pace (and no, it wasn't a snail's pace!) but as soon as I caught up with him off he'd go - beating me yet again. It was very frustrating for all five times we ran together.

The same was true with board games - even before we were married. In fact we got into a such a big fight over Scattergories on the very same day he proposed that I'm surprised the proposal actually even happened. So - Dave and I don't play games together very often... and I've turned into a whinerbutt whenever anyone wants to play because I just assume everyone is as competitive as my husband.

But thanks to this morning, my tune has changed. This morning Theresa called me and said, "I'm making mochas, come over." I said, "I don't think I should - I still had a fever last night at 5..." She said, "Get your butt over here..." So I showered and walked on over... promising myself I wouldn't breathe on her. As she, Jane (her awesome mother-in-law who has been here for almost three weeks) and I sat around the fire Theresa suggested we play scrabble. I, of course, groaned. But you don't argue with Theresa.

So we played... and it was so relaxing and so non-competitive that I actually have the hankering to play again. There was some competition - but it was friendly and for the learning. For example, when Theresa put down "dap" I asked her about it - not because I didn't think it was a word (she is, after all a Scrabble guru) but because I wanted to know for future reference. At another point I thought I only had a five point play but once I put out my tiles, the two of them made it into a 24 point word. In between plays we chatted, laughed and drank our mochas... what a wonderful morning.

As for Dave, when he got home this afternoon I told him about the Scrabble game and guess what his first words were? Yep, you guessed it - his first words were, "Who won?" Some things never change.