Lazy Saturday, The Kite Runner

I won't be able to write much today. Chester is taking a nap, so it's just me and Benji Poodle, who is desperately trying to get into mischief. And succeeding, some of the time.

I'm nearly done with the book I've been trying to read for the last two weeks. Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Lady Smo at work recommended it to me. I have to say, it's been an intense experience. Basically, it's a book about redemption. The recurring message is "There is a way to be good again."

The whole of the book's subject was foreign to me, literally. I knew next to nothing about what life was like in Afghanistan. The theme of redemption, though, touched me deeply.

I've commited indiscretions in my past for which I remain remorseful and repentant. The idea that I could atone for those sins is refreshing. It occurs to me that my life of the last few years, since I cut myself off from a social life, I've accomplished a bit of "making myself good again." Not quite a hermit, but close, I've removed many people from my life. I've learned not to depend on others for companionship and guidance. It's forced me to simplify, but mostly it's allowed me time to reflect and realize what being an honorable person is all about.

I don't know if I'll ever cease to be haunted by my past, but at least I can rectify the damage I did to my character.