New Minglewood Blues: Lessons Learned From a Wallflower: Five Ways to Feel Infinite

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." -Charlie, from Perks

A reason why I love the summer time so much is because it is one of the few extended occasions where I can just sit out side, soak up some harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun and read a good book.

I just finished Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky last week, and although I thought of it as a slightly more amateur version of Catcher in the Rye, I still felt compelled to share it; especially when I heard a movie was in the works (with Hermonie Granger).

The book follows Charlie, a nerdy freshman boy, who finds himself lost in the world of high school. And that's no piece of cake. He soon befriends a group of seniors and finds himself in a world of drugs, sexuality and literature: a place where he finally belongs. With some bumps in the way, Charlie learns to deal with the past and mature for the future he is destined to lead.

Cheesy summary, I know, but I did learn a lot from Charlie-- even besides some kickass songs from The Smiths. I compiled a list while reading, and am pleased to present my Lessons Learned from a Wallflower: Five Ways to Feel Infinite.

Remember you are not alone in the world, even if you feel like it. “All the books you’ve read have been read by other people. And all the songs you’ve loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that’s pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing ‘unity.’”
The more you see, the less you know. Charlie “used to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend was like. It’s much easier not to know things sometimes. And to have French fries with your mom be enough.”
Never stop asking why. “I almost didn’t get an A in math, but then Mr. Carlo told me to stop asking ‘why?’ all the time and just follow the formulas. So, I did. Now, I get perfect scores on all my tests. I just wish I knew what the formulas did. I honestly have no idea.”
Always remember what’s important in life. “And I made Aunt Helen a promise to only cry about important things because I would hate to think that crying as much as I do would make crying for Aunt Helen less important.”
And lastly, you will always meet people like this. “She also keeps talking about the Billie Holiday record she bought for me. And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don’t really want to be exposed to all these great things if it means that I’ll have to hear Mary Elizabeth talk about all the great things she exposed me to all the time.”