Dwight K. Schrute

Dwight K. Schrute. Formerly “Assistant to the Regional Manager,” now “Assistant Regional Manager.” I wish we all lived more like The Office’s Dwight. (You Office fans take note that I said more) Thursday reminded me of this. Weirdness and quirkiness aside, Dwight gives us an image of someone completely sold out for a larger story. Without a bigger drama to live in, we will become like Stanley or Phyllis, just trying to pay the bills. Regardless of the situations and circumstances, boring as they might be in an office of cubicles, Dwight is alive.

Last night, Phyllis enters the office in shock, having been flashed in the parking lot. Not a split second later, Dwight bolts down there to save the day. The entire episode is spent tracing the culprit. Weeks back, a disgruntled Roy came to make war against Jim for kissing Pam months earlier. As he violently approaches Jim, Dwight steps in with pepper spray to halt Roy’s assault. Then Dwight fiercely explains that his decision to keep the spray in his desk for eight straight years finally paid off. We then discover he stores knunchucks and throwing stars in the top left drawer of his desk, just in case.

There was the time Pam sent him a top secret note from the FBI, telling him he had been selected for a covert mission. We last see him waiting for a chopter on the roof of a building and eventually destroying his phone after being “compromised.” Dwight becomes a volunteer sheriff when traces of illegal drugs are found. When Jim tricks him into believing he is a vampire (evidence enough of Dwight’s imagination), Dwight prepares a crucifix out of a broomstick.

Everything is a conspiracy. He is always ready for battle. There’s a simple and dramatic solution to everything. Something always requires his advice, bravery, or expertise. After all, he has the heroic legacy of the Schrute family line to uphold. Odd as it sounds and hate it as you might, we all need a little Dwight in our own story.

The Office and the end of The Story

A friend lent my wife and I season 2 of The Office. It is has taken us approximately three days to view over half of the episodes. We love it. The writing is brilliant, and Jim and Dwight simply carry the show. Something has grabbed me, though, that I did not expect. A love story. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it. Just as Titanic’s epic romance did for so many people around the world, Jim and Pam’s love struggle affects my heart in a way love stories used to, before innocence was lost and the world blinded me from God.

Before we began season 2, my wife blew the ending, informing me that the two kiss at the end of the last episode. I didn’t care then, not yet having been pulled into the romance. But now my heart is pulled in, and I had an epiphery (to use Michael Scott’s dictionary). Knowing the final scene doesn’t diminish or lessen the hoping, tension, and yearning for Jim to win Pam’s heart and kiss her. In fact, knowing the story ends well only heightens the anticipation and drama. Unfortunately, I don’t know how Jim and Pam will end up when The Office eventually ends (hopefully never). But in real life, I must know how the story ends.

God, I need this to be true. In our postmodern world, the idea that life is a story may be too easily accepted or too quickly discarded. But it’s true. And we must know how it ends. We must. It would change how we live, the energy we bring to each day, the focus we give to each moment. And like Jim and Pam’s love story, knowing how the Larger Story ends would only increase our anticipation and longing for it. How does the story end for those who have been ransomed by the Hero? To better answer this and stay close to the 300 word goal I set for blogs, I leave you with some wells that give me a taste of eternal water…

The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis

Chapter 12 “Coming Home” in The Sacred Romance, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge

The last 5 minutes of the movie Gladiator

“Into the West,” a song by Annie Lennox

(pictures from nbc.com)

The Dull Moments

My blog description above mentions the dull moments of life being a topic. I realize I haven’t done a great job of including those. So here we go.

The weather outside decided to finally turn cold for winter, making it harder to get out of bed each morning. When I finally did today, 40 minutes after my first alarm, I was cold. Because my Nick Saban-like NFL salary of $4.5 million dollars hasn’t come in the mail yet, I do not have one of those showers that sprays you from 6 different angles, assuring that every inch of the body is kept warm for every second of the shower. So, probably like you, I am forced to move around in effort to stay warm. I discovered that keeping my head under the hot water is strategically the best way to stay warm.

Once dressed for work, I ate cereal. The generic brand. It was $0.75 cheaper that the name brand. The milk is halfway gone, if you were wondering. Oh wait, that sounded negative. The milk jug is half-full. It’s also the generic brand.

The drive to work was all about sports talk. Nick Saban again. What an example of integrity for the players he will coach. Huh.

I talked so much at work that my throat hurt. I like talking to you now because you don’t require my voice. It is resting.

Once home, I sat on the couch. Tired and bored. Then I realized it’s Thursday. Do you know what that means!!!???? The Office is on tonight. I love The Office. Brilliant. I haven’t laughed so hard since Dumb and Dumber. I checked nbc.com and found that Dwight K. Schrute has a blog. Crap. Because I am tiring my fingers with you, I missed the first 5 minutes of the show. Here’s Dwight’s blog. Gotta go.

http://blog.nbc.com/DwightsBlog/