I am working my way through Leif Enger’s newest book, I Cheerfully Refuse. Enger writes beautifully and captures a slow pace I enjoy at times when reading novels. (I am not good at reading fiction so unless there is a race against a bomb going off or the main character is about to be the next victim, I’m not good at engaging a piece of fiction. Enger is a wonderful exception for me.)

I came across a review of Enger’s book that describes how the main character sees life compared to his main antagonist:

It is here that readers see a major distinction between the protagonist and antagonist, Rainy and Werryck. Rainy is in tune with something deeper and more profound than his immediate circumstances: beauty. Whether it is innate or something he caught from Lark, Rainy has the “deep tones” running through him. His commitment to the beautiful, the true, and the good keeps him going amidst his worst plights.

I have often described liturgy and spiritual formation in our lives as the “bass note” of the rhythm of life. Always look for that bass note and you can come home. Home is always there. For Rainy, it was a literal bass guitar and when he played it, he found beauty. Chaos was all around Rainy in this novel, yet he found his way to beauty.

Chaos is all around us. It’s a political season. It’s a nervous time. There is a lot of noise in just about every arena of our lives.

Seek beauty. Seek that base note.

Come home.