"Let the Eagle Soar"

But enough about former Attorney General John Ashcroft's singing career. This blog entry is about a study break during my sophomore year at Cedarville University. Two desks were parked side-by-side in a dimly-lit rectangular dorm room. At one desk was Mike Knoerzer, studying for an exam in Dr. James McGoldrick's Western Civilization course. At the other desk was your's truly, studying for an upcoming honor's exam in the year-long sequence called the Making of the Modern Mind. Long story short--these two minds were essentially fried on this particular night. We had arrived at the saturation point--and then went beyond. Yet there was far more to cram in our brains before the next morning.

Enter the study break. Enter, also, the imagination--that powerful human process whereby two weary students could mentally transport themselves from their bleak existence in the "land of corn and pigs" (that's what I used to call Ohio) and into a more celestial locale. On this particular night, it was alpine majesty that came calling, and the dialogue went something like this:

Mike: "Somewhere, there is a mountain range of incredible grandeur. And above the mountain tops soars a majestic bald eagle, floating effortlessly on its outstretched wings. It soars high above the snow-capped mountain peaks, and then dips down into the valley below."

A thoughtful pause ensued as we both could see the image in our mind's eye.

Then, I offered the following: The sound of a shotgun being cocked.

Kind of ruined the moment, but made for a good study break.