Daily walks around my building and the surrounding blocks have sharpened my skills of observation. I will give Maisie, our puppy some credit too because she is the reason for my frequent outings and our routes which are now becoming a routine. Even as we traverse the same square block multiple times a day, I am called to notice something new.

The Design Within Reach Bookcase

Phil likes to read Moby Dick every few years. I read it once during a time of book desperation. I was at home and had read everything on my shelves, except Moby Dick. It was part of a collection of books purchased for the boys’ high school English classes. I had already finished the other titles like All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22, Beloved, The Awakening just to name a few. Moby Dick felt mildly intimidating. Our paperback version sat waiting for someone, anyone to pick it up and crack the spine, even if just to look at the table of contents.

I gave in. I was desperate if I hadn’t already mentioned my state of mind. I plucked Moby Dick from its place on the Design Within Reach open shelving, dislodging a bit of dust and headed to bed. Ready to find out what all the fuss was about. 

Maybe I finished the first chapter before I fell into a deep sleep, and so it went for months. Moby Dick on my bedside table. I would pick it up as I settled into my pillows, hoping to make it through at least one chapter. If you have ever read Moby Dick then you know that the chapters are not very long. However, they are dense, each page, each paragraph filled with an unfathomable amount of detail.

I admit that it became something of a test of my endurance and an obsession to finish this book. Here and there, I sprinkled in some daytime reading of lighter fare, dark Scandinavian mysteries and current literary fiction. And yet, each evening was reserved for Moby Dick.

When I finally finished, I sat in bed alone triumphant and eager to share my accomplishment with someone. What I really wanted was to ask an English teacher was “Why this book continues to be assigned to students?”. Where does this canon of American Literature fit into the conversation that we want or need to be having now?

During one of our early dates, I learned that Phil had read Moby Dick and not just once, several times. I peppered him with my questions. We didn’t and still haven’t reached concrete conclusions. The subject remains an open topic. 

As Maisie and I do our laps around the neighborhood, I am reminded that there is always more to observe and notice even in the routine, the known, and the well-trodden paths of our days if we are open. I might be ready for my next read of Moby Dick. The biggest surprises can be found in the familiar.