My Girl (Terry)

I usually type on my laptop. It's portable and convenient. However, it's also sometimes slow. But I have a fallback for this: a dedicated Slow Computer reading book. In this case, it's The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila. So, when inevitable updates, UPGRADE YOUR AVG NOW!!!! (Looking at you, AVG) and other AMAZING NEW FEATURES come - or when Microsoft wants to, once again, update something

- I ignore the screen, let it do its thing, and read instead.

One of the things I'm really enjoying about my girl Terry, besides that her book is source material, is how painfully honest she is. It's fascinating to read historical accounts from the people who were there, living it. Where else are we going to find first-hand accounts from dark-age Spain from a literate middle-class woman? She's writing over a thousand years ago talking about the everyday-doings of her life.

As modern technology blurbs and cajoles me for my money, I can ignore it and learn, instead.

Just today, as my trusty laptop was once again updating, I learned how Terry liked to read. That's not a big deal for most people living in the West nowadays, but for her time, it was huge! I don't even know if there's a decent modern-day comparison. In her early 20's, Teresa says she only prayed while she read. I don't even know how she did that. For me, and the rest who make a habit of prayer, it's anytime anywhere, 24-7 all you can pray. Not my girl Terry.

Imagine only being able to pray when you're able to read. Imagine most people don't know how to read. Further imagine how of even those who can read, nearly none of them are women. In order to read, you need light and a relatively safe and quiet place. Find me that place for back then.

I mean, for me to be able to read, in our modern age of lights and comfort is like breathing. I would, however, say that while literacy rates are generally on the up and up, comprehension rates are not. Reading Terry's autobiography makes me wonder about her time. Was it the reverse for her then? Were comprehension rates high and literacy rates low? I'm not sure, so I read on.