What if we take this seriously? What gifts is it going to give us if we love something, and love it with rigor, and we love it with commitment?— Vanessa, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Book 1 Chapter 1
During the first episode of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, this statement lead me to a revelation: treating things I love with rigor was a natural state for me.
I considered it more of a bad habit: a tendency to over-examine and pick apart everything. This usually results in me being overly critical of whatever doesn’t stand up to this rigor, and overly obsessed with that which does. I mentioned this on twitter, and the podcast responded by asking what sort of things I treated as sacred. I realized that my twitter profile was a mashup of the things I rigorously loved.
In just the first episode, this podcast re-framed my perspective. I now understood my rigorous love was valuable, and afforded me a greater understanding of the world around me. I eagerly listened to all the episodes, and became best friends with the podcast.
I’m enjoying the podcast so much that I’ve decided to start a read-along blog. I’ll also go chapter for chapter for the next 4 years, writing about my view on the themes, likely blending in other things I love.