to know her is to know yourself

to: Charlie

from: Laurie

RE: "To know her is to know yourself."

SO I was doing some thinking and I realized, everything we need to know about life we learned from Jane Austen. We can look to her for almost every one of life’s problems. I should say this really came from a pep talk I was giving Judy the other night and then another one I was giving Wendy last night. The thing is at the end of the day its about relationships. The people who will be in your life when you are 90 – Jane got that.

She knew that it was about who you are as a person and the people you let into your life that reflect your character. Think about it Emma, Ann, Elizabeth, Marianne all had FLAWED relationships before their happiness (well Ann was alone the entire time but that is besides the point). Their happiness was of their own making, when they abandoned conceptions of what they knew of themselves and others. I have heard a friend complain, “when I look at myself a year ago I am disgusted, how could I have thought this or done this.”

I thought to myself don’t you think that Elizabeth wanted to chalk her episode with Wickham up to a weakness for men in uniform. Or Emma would have explained away her romance with Frank Churchill as result of too much leisure time in Box Hill. Marianne would have absolutely considered her infatuation with Mr. Willoughby a side effect of a sprained ankle. Bottom line, Austen knew that we would enter relationships that would break us – hurt us in some way, distorting our perceptions not only on ourselves but also of those around us.

Each of these heroines only achieved happiness once they acknowledged that they themselves knew nothing about those around them. It was true for Austen and its true for us - the only person you can really know is yourself. So this year I resolve to think like Jane and get to know me, and chances are the people I surround myself with will follow suite.

So really I was right that night in The Oak… to know Jane is to know yourself.

laurie

Laurie enjoys all things British, particularly tea, jane austen, james mcavoy, the smiths, sting (and the police) and most recently friendly fires. She has often wondered if her acceptance letter to Hogwarts was lost in the mail and considered moving to Forks WA more than once. She is always in search of a good book and a bad TV show. There are few things that make her happier than gummy bears, champagne, and James Bond. She often wonders if there will ever be enough of the world for her to see or if she will ever see enough of it.

Laurie does not particularly enjoy snakes or most reptiles for that matter. There was an incident with a deformed/genetically-modified strawberry that she would prefer to forget. Man-dals make her almost as nervous as excessive hair gel does. She doesn’t like fake people – but fake people would probably say the same thing.

She believes in karma.

charlie

Charlie was one of those kids who read books under her desk at school. Not much has changed.

She does not like peanut butter or vacuuming, struggles with being on time and gets travel anxiety (probably because of her issues with punctuality).

She likes pearls, the sound of snow falling, the color red, peonies, every sort of dog, even the ones that don't ever shut up and eat things they shouldn't, tea with milk, chapstick and owns at once too many and not enough pairs of high heeled shoes. She likes making lists, even if she seldom follows through with them, baking complicated desserts no one ever eats but her, playing songs on repeat for days on end, overcoming her travel anxiety to explore new places, hockey and the ocean.

She believes in the importance of reading books under your desk, and that everything worthwhile will leave a bruise.