Oh, the joy of reading!!!
I am blessed, I have a lot of ideas. I am cursed, I have a lot of ideas. A mind that’s so busy creating work for itself needs to be tamed once in a while and for me, that’s now. This snapshot that my son sent of his refrigerator door jumpstarted my new resolve — get off the “busy” treadmill and give yourself some pleasure, read more. New habits are definitely in order. Oh the joy of holding a book in your hand!!!
What you see is a large jointed magnet that I bought at the small bookstore downtown. It was perfect for my son Jesse because he was an avid reader growing up and was always glued to a book. I thought it would be fun to have something he could arrange on the fridge every which-a-way. Maybe his mood for that day. I’ve dubbed the magnet Bookie, and this latest pose probably came after Jess spent time in his favorite SciFi adventure.
Bookie says it all because near the top of my pleasure list is “reading.” Dancing is #1, of course. For several years now reading has been shoved aside by too many responsibilities, too much TV, phone time, gaming, and the computer in general. Facebook is a particular killer. I’m desperate to slash something and get back to the growing stack of books on the shelf labeled “Want to read” — my inShelf!
I’m fed up to here with this busyness crap. (said as hand is placed horizontally across forehead to indicate body approaching the full mark!) I’m fed up with the constant rotation of work, chores, needs, and even creative ideas that keep my body and brain full to the max. Constantly fulfilling obligations — perceived or otherwise — has left little time for pleasure. Even the pleasure of doing nothing. Especially the pleasure of doing nothing.
So…. as with other new habits I attempt, the “weaning” method works best because things can edge into place little by little. Discarding activities that keep me occupied is a huge priority. At the same time, I want at least 30 min. a day with a book. The example is small, but the idea isn’t. Anyway, it’s a start!
Today I’m going to adjust the “date” I have every afternoon with Toy Blast, my latest iPad obsession. I’ve been setting a timer for myself because dinner was getting later and later, but an hour of gaming every day really didn’t seem too whacky to me. Today the timer will be set for 30 min. and my book, placed prominently next to the tablet, will stay open for the remaining 30 min. Because I love to dance, I have one gathered up at a yard sale just because of the title, “the unexpected waltz”, by Kim Wright. I have no idea what’s inside, but today, definitely today.
Weeded out this week: Anything and everything that’s getting in the way of some reading time! I swear.
NOTE: I wrote this piece yesterday and followed through. I started my book and now I can’t put it down. Turns out all I needed was someone to tell me what to do — me. I’m a little pissed off at myself to have let inertia and just plain laziness dictate my days for so long. But I’m sure to forgive myself soon. ha