"Begin at the beginning, and go on until you come to the end: then stop."
-King of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland
Today, I find myself wondering if I could be a monk. It has crossed my mind before in the past, this is not a new idea by any means. However, in the past it always seemed a distant and unlikely series of events that might lead me to that life. I guess I just never actually considered pursuing it, because that's the only difference between my thoughts now and my contemplations in the past.
Once last year while I was at Ohio State, Columbus was playing host to a Britney Spears concert. She was performing at the Ohio State University, it was in the same building they use for their basketball games. I did not attend that concert, but I was out that night with some friends on our way to get some food when I said, "If I ran into Britney Spears right now I'd tell her that if she'd pay off all my college debt, I would become a monastic." And I would have, I would have prayed for her every day if that happened, because that sort of thing would be a great gift from God. As you can see, that scenario does not really require me to pursue anything. It's highly unlikely that would ever even happen, and less likely, I think, that she would agree to it...or maybe she'll read this. Ha.
Anyways, today is different.
Today I've been considering pursuing the monastic life. Could I really be a monk? Should I really be a monk? Would I really? None the less, I am still in debt and would need to get out of that. So do I just continue working and not considering being a monk because I need to get out of debt, or do I actively seek out sponsors and donations that would support me in my efforts and carry some of these loans. That's an intense thought because I feel like that would definitely work. People would definitely support me in that and I could be tonsured by this time next year....maybe by Pascha (Easter.)
I'm going to be thinking about this, because I already have a plan for raising support. One thing is for sure though, I need to grow out my beard and my hair.
I know that must seem like a punch line, but it's not.
