But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD , "O LORD , is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD , take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"
Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."
But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."
But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
I think the reason I like the Bible so much is that I can generally relate to the folks that are in it.
Which is why I like The Postal Service too, come to think of it. And Songs: Ohia. And Andrew W.K.
DK and I have discussed, off and on, how many days we'd be willing to sleep on the floor. I said a month, but I think that's a little too high.
My jorb would be much more conveinent if they just mailed my paycheck to me and I never had to actually come in. I think I would probably do as much for the company sitting at home as I do sitting here at work. Come to think of it, I imagine I would be writing this very sentence, if I were at home instead of work, but I could be sitting in my underwear instead of this ridiculously uncomfortable shirt that I keep wearing because it doesn't wrinkle in the wash. All my clothes are wrinkled right now, and I'm hoping that hanging them on hangers will encourage them to straighten up and fly right.
Jorie Graham's "Prayer" said something wonderful to me last night. I will try to post it when I have the book in front of me (another reason why I should be at home instead of at work).