Play, Play, Play Like Your Life Depends on It

Trigger Warning: We are all adults here, but this post might be offensive if you're sensitive about foreskins in the Biblical sense. You have been warned. And no, I haven't been drinking (well, just a tiny glass of Apothic Dark), but I have been feeling very, very playful and giggly all day.

So, as I was sitting in Bible study this morning, switching between two different study books, neither of which will stay open by itself, it occurred to me that bookmarks might be helpful. So when an hour of fun time presented itself this afternoon, I decided to make a few bookmarks and challenged myself to make them in completely different styles.

I'd say these represent four very different styles, although upon reflection, none of them is suitable for my Bible study books. We're studying Paul's letter to the Galatians. To circumcise or not to circumcise? That is the question.

It's unlikely Hamlet was circumcised, but Paul's point is that Jesus doesn't care about your foreskin.

As very few of you ever had a foreskin to remove or not remove, let's shuffle back to the subject of bookmarks.

First up, I call this one Bookish Elegance. It's made with classic colors, an elegant flourish, and a quotation from C.S. Lewis (about whose state of circumcision I know nothing). No tassel or ribbon, though, which is fine. I'll put this one in The Poisonwood Bible when I start it in a week or two. That's a fairly big book. Plus, Barbara Kingsolver writes elegant prose.

Second, let's call this one Happy Soul. This is a bright, colorful, fun book mark with a button sewn onto the ribbon for true ease in finding your spot. This might be suitable for Chet and Bernie mysteries (narrated by a dog) or, even better, The No. One Ladies Detective Agency. Or the Mitford series. Those are books to make a soul happy.

Third, (my favorite) The Flutter-By. This bookmark plays up the sweet outline butterflies with Impress Fresh Ink's celery and pool. And tiny, non-book-damaging bling. This is for Chick Lit. Think Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Way too lighthearted for Charlotte Bronte, though.

Fourth, the Dominatrix. The tassel ends are tied like a cat-o'-nine-tails, and the sentiment commands a person to read. The black and white color scheme, with sharp corners, is extremely bossy and useful for keeping place in books that you might have to make yourself read. Occasionally, this applies to my book club books, but not often, and it NEVER applies to Bible study. This certainly would have come in handy in graduate school when I had to read John Stuart Mill and Alfred Lord Tennyson (both of whom may or may not have been circumcised but nevertheless put me to sleep).

Sorry. I'm having a hard time letting the whole foreskin thing go. Of course, many people today consider circumcision to be an important expression of faith identity, and I deeply respect that, despite the levity of this post. Basically, our Bible study has been creeping through the six chapters of Galatians for seven months now. Last week, we finally started Chapter 6.

That's a long time to have something as fraught with irreverent humor as circumcision on one's mind, you know. Please forgive me for finally breaking under the strain.

I whipped these bookmarks out in about an hour. My desk was a wretched mess at the end, but how much fun it was to cut loose and PLAY!!! No over-thinking. No worry if the end result would work. No fretting of any kind.

"Play, Play. Play. Like your life depends on it. Because it does." 

--Trixie Koontz, golden retriever and author of Life Is Good. 

(With a little help from her owner Dean Koontz)

Supplies
Lots of various stuff. I was playing and didn't keep track. If you have to know something, leave a comment and I'll look it up!