In all his absurdity Haruki Murakami does not fail to amuse me. His books leave room (perhaps a lot more than I realize) for interpretation; and for every story that I’ve read, I find some aspect of it tugging at my heart. There’s wish fulfillment and despair all at once, and the symbols begin to mean different things to different people.

Kafka on the shore was the first novel I read by Murakami, as suggested by my cousin. Soon after that I encountered The Elephant Vanishes, Birthday Stories, Sputnik Sweethearts, and finally 1Q84. There must be a title I’m totally missing out on, but whatever it is, I find myself feeling a genuine catharsis after reading Murakami.

1Q84 is his latest novel. Baffled by it’s storyline, all I can really say is, it’s a trip. And as for the symbols in the book, there remain two people whose story I felt I could relate with most. The book is essentially about two souls who’ve been searching for each other. Two people who had a mutual understanding and through the years loved apart, yet side by side.It reminds me a lot of the sacrament of waiting, a piece I admit I’ve come to love a little too much. But don’t we all tend to cling to something when we need that healthy dose of hope and inspiration?

For anyone who knows what The Sacrament of Waiting is all about, you know that it is a piece by Fr. James Donelan, S.J. on strength and faith that we truly encounter when we are in the process of waiting. We wait everyday for something; our turn in the bathroom, the stop light to change, or for someone to give us a call, but what Fr. Donelan is really saying is that when we wait we encounter God and in the process discover what is most important.

How do we know if we should wait?, he says, gut feel. 

Have you ever woken up at night thinking of somebody only to have the phone ring 10 seconds later with them on the other side?

Have you ever felt deep down in your gut that they were so close by you were certain you’d bump into each other?

These thoughts all came into play as I flipped through the pages on 1Q84. The feelings that accompanied these thoughts all took me back to what it really meant to wait and to trust your instinct. Whether it has to do with love or simply your career, there will be that opening. I believe that we are all called to something, and we know that we are because we are constantly inspired to act in that direction.

I seem to be caught in waiting…. waiting for something to begin. And in all this, I’ve admittedly forgotten how to cherish the present and live in the NOW.

Once again, Murakami has transported me. And thanks to his creative words, there is a girl who has used his symbols to organize hers.