The Balance of Life

Sula. At first I thought it was just a funny name of a cooking spice. "I'm cooking fish tonight, drop by the market and get some sula or else it's going to turn out flaky and bland." Or it could be a virus. "Man, I messed up...that girl might have had sula." Thankfully Sula turned out to be a brilliant novel written beautifully from back to front with as good of character relationships and development as I have ever read. Not only was the text the perfect size for my picky eyes but the final message of the book, the way I interpreted Toni Morrison to have written it, hit so close to home in my way of thinking, that I was actually perfectly satisfied once the final page was turned. It's a close to a perfect book as I've read. A few others may have thought of it the same way; the author, Toni Morrison earned a Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1993 for her works.(source)

So far I have utilized my last few blogs not only as a reflection of our class discussions, but also as a bit of therapy. I spent 23 years in one area, Orange County, also known as "The Bubble" because it's tough to get in, equally or even more tough to get out. I adapt well but the move has opened my eyes and writing these blogs is a useful tool to spill some emotion, going through some new and tough experiences. Having said that, Sula's message in the end was a perfect example of what I strive to find. Balance! Once you're in the bubble, it's easy to get high on the affluent things around you so much so that it can make you feel like a piece of crap for being unworthy. Not to knock on Northridge or the San Fernando Valley, but the scale has tipped a bit the other way. I went from being a martyr in Orange County to the Sula in Northridge. Okay, not to that extreme, but I am looking for the balance. Sula absorbed and emitted all the evil in her town that it turned cheating wives into loyal partners, and inattentive parents into role models. All the girls feared her, all the boys wanted her, and she knew it. She was larger than life living in the Bottom and it showed in her willingness to accept and enhance her role as 'witch of the Bottom.' It worked because balance is the key to life, love, and happiness. Know who you are!

Sources

Morrison, Toni. Sula (1973, Alfred A. Knopf, New York)