I feel a little like I’m beating a dead horse, even though I know this post isn’t really. It comes in a similar vain to the posts of the last few days.

Did you know it’s possible to enjoy most things? Let me be more specific. Did you know that it’s okay to enjoy the classically lame tunes of Nsync; Footloose in all of its cheesy glory; hell, even old episodes of Full House!

When I speak to people, especially younger people, I get this consistent sense of the entertainment taboos. I don’t know who’s coming up with this stuff, but it’s really annoying and frankly, pointless. Even within the same genre of music, the Postal Service is okay to listen to, but Owl City is ‘gay’. Barring my own annoyance at people using that word in that way, it’s also just plain irrational.

Sometime around 19 or 20 I made private commitment to myself to enjoy whatever I enjoy. And I know, I’ve probably written about this before. But see, I realized at that time, if I’m totally honest, I can’t deny that I enjoy the sound of most music. I enjoy most movies I watch. There were all kinds of things coming out of the entertainment industry that I “didn’t like”, but not for any reason that involved what I was actually seeing or hearing.

What I realized at that time when I made that commitment to myself was that my dislikes were mostly ideological or social. Meaning something to the effect of not liking Owl City because it was a lame rip-off of the “real stuff” the Postal Service was making. I wouldn’t have liked the Twilight series because it was full of cheap gimmicks. Nevermind the fact that Owl City is catchy and fun, and the Twilight series is plenty entertaining.

For some reason, for a lot of people, being entertaining or being catchy isn’t good enough to give permission to enjoy something. That is very stupid and it’s a self deprivation that’s based on almost nothing.

See, I feel that I’ve discovered an important distinction. There are some kinds of entertainment that are fun and just plain entertaining, then there are some that should also be respected.

What do I mean by that? I mean that I can enjoy and have fun with the catchy tunes from Owl City, but I can respect The Postal Service. This is an important distinction. With this mental divide, my ideological and social qualms with some particular piece of entertainment cannot prevent me from enjoying something which, in a vacuum, I would find quite fun. Now,  it’s very rare that I hear something that I simply do not like. I rarely watch something that I really don’t enjoy. It may still take a lot to impress me, but not to entertain me.

So, let me suggest something to you. Do you often find yourself scoffing at the latest theatrical release? Do you often find yourself rolling your eyes when the latest auto-tuned disfigurement grazes the car speakers? Ask yourself this—If I knew nothing of this artist, of the current state of music or movies or tv, if I had no idea what my peers thought of this, would I still roll my eyes? Would I still scoff? I’m willing to bet, with reasonable confidence, that if most people are honest with themselves, they’d say that yeah, they enjoy it.

There it is. There will be the proof that you are unnecessarily barring yourself from enjoying much more than you already are.

From my own experience, I strongly encourage you to make the distinction I’ve made. Find the artists and the art that you respect, but allow yourself to enjoy whatever you want. It’s freeing. It’s fun. And, it makes it much easier to share interests with more people, more often. I assure you, you won’t regret it.

Cause lets be honest, climbing a tree, playing tag, or a good round of sardines may be childish, but it’s fun. And likewise, Lady Gaga may be cheesy, but the music sure is a hoot to listen to.

Though I don’t remember exactly where, CS Lewis wrote describing how it’s less that human beings want things and more that human beings want to want things. There’s as much fun in planning and getting excited about going on a vacation as there is in actually going. “Getting there is half the fun” as the cliché might say.

When we look foreword to things, it’s often times the build up and the waiting that makes that actual experience that much more enjoyable.

Before I was a believer, I used to think about God. If he were really loving, he would have skipped the whole human-being part and simply made us so that we were with him already. I realize now that this missed a crucial part of what it means to enjoy something.

By allowing his creation to pursue him from a distance now on earth, the anticipation in the hearts of his people simmers. All nuances of joy we only begin to experience in this lifetime blend together and mature.

I believe this is part of God’s design. When we finally meet Christ face-to-face, by his wisdom, we will be prepared to fully enjoy all that he is. And, in our full enjoyment, he will get even more glory.

I photograph a lot of weddings and these are by far my favorite.

Not because the message is really insightful (it’s usually not), and not because I like acoustic hymns (I do). It’s because there’s generally a different spirit about the reception.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy my job. I enjoy it a lot. And just about every wedding has it’s challenges and it’s fun parts. But for my personal preference, weddings between truly practicing Christians tend to be the most exciting for me.

I think the reason why is that genuine Christian community tends to operate a lot differently than ordinary groups. In most weddings, when the dance floor opens up, people have a couple drinks and start to cut loose. It’s fun. They’re having a good time and who can blame them?But when community of Christians get on the dance floor, it really feels like a community effort; Like everyone is dancing with everyone.

In addition to that, it seems like Christian communities seem to get the celebration aspect of things. Like it’s not only a great chance to dance and have a good time, but the good time and the dancing is really part of the excitement and celebration of the new union.

So, for me, I really enjoy when I get the chance to photograph weddings in the midst of Christian communities. And for Marty and Chelsea who were just married tonight, I wish you happiness and satisfaction in the Lord.

Something I’ve never really done is play sports. There are various contributing factors in that, the most notable probably being that I’ve just never been all that captivated by them.

Never in elementary, middle or high school was I ever a player on any kind of organized team. I think if I remember right, I tried to play soccer for like two weeks when I was 8 or 9. But that might be some composite memory I picked up from TV or something.

Long story short, that pretty much puts me in a position now where I neither care about sports nor am I any good at them when it comes to participating myself. I could care less which team wins the Super Bowl and probably I couldn’t kick a ball into a net to save my life.

But, I think I’d like to change that.

So, the past couple of weeks I’ve been giving it an honest effort to cultivate some interest and skill in some kind of sport. I have to admit, things aren’t going particularly well.

Last Sunday I went with some friends to watch the Redskins Cowboys game. In the beginning, I didn’t really know what was going on (being that I’ve never had an interest), but thanks to wikipedia, my iPhone and some helpful insights from a friend, by the end of the game I was pretty well clued in. Apparently I was supposed to be excited that the Redskins won? I don’t know.

But also, I’ve been trying to give it some effort myself as well. A very patient friend has been playing tennis with me. Here’s the thing, I really might be the worlds worst tennis player. If I’m not missing the ball completely, I’m sending it soaring over the fence. It’s seriously annoying.

All that been said though, I am giving things an honest effort. I really would like to not be an outsider in the world of playing and enjoying sports.

So, wish me luck!