The book I am currently reading is The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. Kirkus Reviews had this to say: "This wise, witty ramble reads like Paul Theroux channeling David Sedaris on a particularly good day."
On Thursday night, when the "three young gypsies" (that's what we call Kyle, Paige, & Ben, the three college students who are working on Ocracoke this summer, and are staying in the gypsy wagon) stopped by to chat, talk turned to friends, and the unique sense of community we enjoy here on the island. I was reminded of a paragraph in The Geography of Bliss that I had just read, so I got out my book and read it aloud for them. I share it with our readers for reflection:
"...[T]he greatest source of happiness is other people--and what does money do? It isolates us from other people. It enables us to build walls, literal and figurative, around ourselves. We move from a teeming college dorm to an apartment to a house and, if we're really wealthy, to an estate. We think we're moving up, but really we're walling off ourselves."
Like most assertive statements like that, it is not entirely or always true, but it is certainly food for thought.
I know our summer has been enriched by having the three young gypsies as neighbors.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is "Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke" by Lawton Howard. You can read it here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
We love the "gypsy's". We met Kyle(has to be the same guy) last summer in the same fashion. He and a friend appeared on our porch looking for a cork screw, and we ended up sharing the wine and playing cards until the wee hours! Another reason I love Ocracoke. Truly have never met a stranger there.
ReplyDeletePhilip, thanks for maintaining this site -- and especially for the uplifting sentiments expressed in the entry to which this comment responds.
ReplyDeleteSo that really IS a gypsy wagon I saw parked in the vicinity behind The Village Craftsman. Can you tell a bit more about it?
ReplyDeletePick up a copy of this month's Observer!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phillip, we can`t wait to be there.
ReplyDeleteAre there many Ocracoke residents out there that have heard of David Sedaris? Have his books been selected as book of the month for the Ocracoke Island Reading League?
ReplyDeleteDavid Sedaris grew up in NC, and is very funny. I know that many of my close friends enjoy his books. I don't know if the library book club has ever selected one of his books to read.
ReplyDeleteEven folks from Indiana enjoy his books!
ReplyDelete