short-lived pursuits

i've committed myself to too many volumes of literature at once. as is usually the case. i have, however, gained significant headway today as i return that hideous strength (the third book in c.s. lewis's space trilogy), to its resting place on the bookshelf. my problem is starting a new book when i still have several others lying around, half-way finished, staring at me in a pile of impatience and dejectedness.

why do we as humans have this compulsion to move on to new things before we've finished what we have already committed to? call me dramatic. but i think it's true. i've noticed it in my own life. when i first filled my mp3 player, i could hardly even listen to an entire song before i wanted to jump to an entirely new one. maybe we have access to more things than we need?

maybe we'd be better off soaking up every last bit of whatever it is we're involved in before we move on to something else. the more frequently we move from one pursuit to another, the less we gain from any of them. life isn't really about how many books we've read or places we've lived anyways is it? it's about who we become right? douglas coupland said something in hey nostradamus! to the effect of "we are the sum of our actions." pretty sobering observation. are our actions hurried, unfinished, half-assed? or are they meaningful, intentional, consistent? i realize these words disclose my own guiltiness in the matter, so here's to one thing at a time...