The strangest thing happened to me recently. I went out of town. Actually, I went far far out of town to Dallas, and suddenly I had about 10 hours of travel time in front of me. And somehow I had remembered to grab this book before I left for the weekend. And would you believe I took my time reading it, nodding in agreement with what Angie wrote. I re-read some paragraphs, but all in all the pages turned pretty consistently.
It’s been an entire year since I read a book cover to cover.
And that is no exaggeration ;)
I’ve been home for a whole week, and guess what other strange thing has been happening? I’m 68 pages into this book, and it’s totally refreshing to have another book in my hands.
By the way, I am LOVING Shauna’s stories on her childhood in Michigan and near the lake shore. It’s totally making this Grand Rapids girl feel a bit homesick :)
It’s really a bit crazy to me how I’ve let an entire year pass by without finishing a book.
Sure, I’ve started many. But they sit with bookmarks, collecting dust. And I’ve read pregnancy books and baby books and cookbooks. But a book just for Maggie. Oh my, it’s been so long.
This “let’s finish an entire book, and kinda quickly” milestone has been slowly building since the day I wrote about Why I deleted Facebook and Twitter off my iPhone. Suddenly (ha ha, so ironic right?!) I found myself with more time each day. And this “more time” thing has led me to make better choices with what I do each day, which has encouraged me to… wait for it… choose a paper book over my computer when Max is napping.
I know, it’s shocking.
And I love it :)
Being on the computer every spare moment doesn’t refresh me. Actually, quite the opposite usually happens, and that’s an icky feeling.
Reading a book and thinking about the stories typed out and daydreaming about how this relates to my life and allowing my mind to b r e a t h e by reading a book refreshes me.
I haven’t found any extra time in my day to read, and I don’t have any special tips on how to add more hours to my day.
I’m simply choosing how I spend my time differently, and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out.
So, how do you read a book? Buy a 10-hour plane ticket… or, re-prioritize your day to spend time doing things that really matter to you.
PS. Today is the last day to join the Gussy Club for April & May ($50 for two unique products, shipping included). And today is the last day of this Gussy pop-up shop; once Midnight strikes the shop will be closed.
*Affiliate links included in this post.
Yay for reading! I get an hour for lunch at work so I get my reading in then. I’ve also cut down on my tv watching at home in the evening to get more reading in. I live alone so finding alone time to read is easy. I have a goal to read a book a week this year and it has really made me think about how I spend my time.
Bread & Wine is on my to read list.
@amy w, Would you believe we don’t have a TV, we haven’t had one for almost 4 years now. I love to read so much, I need to make this a permanent priority. Thanks so much for your comment! :)
Reading is such a luxury once you are a parent, isn’t it? I am embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t read a full book for about 5 years…since the birth of my twins. After getting Shauna’s book Cold Tangerines at the Influence Conference I was hooked, and read Bittersweet immediately after that. I agree that it feels so much better to spend the little free time I have reading instead of scrolling through Facebook.
@Mandy @ This Girl’s Life, ummmm, YES it is! :) I own Bittersweet and want to read that along with Cold Tangerines. How did you like her other books?
@Maggie Whitley, I absolutely LOVED both books. They made me laugh and cry and gasp and every other possible wonderful emotion. :) That lady has such a talent. When I’m having a down day I go back and read through the things I’ve underlined in them (which is a lot) to give me a better perspective.
I love reading too! And I’ve noticed I do a lot more of it in the summer. (We live in Florida and spend most of our time outside!) PS – I love Grand Rapids too! My husband went to high school and college there, and his brothers still live in the area. We try to go visit each year during Art Prize! Such a fun city!!
@Lyndsay, What?! Small world! What high school did your husband go to? I love reading in the summer too… it definitely reminds me of our summers at my parents cottage.
@Maggie Whitley, I know! Holland HS and Cornerstone. :)
As a first time mom to a toddler this is exactly my life. I have recently realized that time I spend scrolling insta or FB leaves me feeling like I want MORE time alone because I didn’t get refreshed. I’ve been wanting to make changes to that precious time and spend it doing something that will leave my spirit refreshed! So funny that you mentioned feeling exactly like that! Guess its the Lord giving me a sign :) Must read more!
I can’t quite comment with the same frame of reference as you since I’m a doggy-mama and not a baby-mama, but I am a work-from-home photographer as well as a wife, blogger etc. Many, many hats! :)
I’m also a HUGE bookworm and LOVE to read. I set book goals each year, and this year, I plan to read 40 for-fun books and 8 business books. Reading is one of my most favorite hobbies and something I’ve done since I was little.
I find that having my book handy and sneaking little moments of reading like while I’m eating breakfast and lunch [hubby works out of the home so it’s just me and the pup during the day], and then other free moments during the day and before bed – those are my most common reading times.
It’s tough to fit it in when there is always something else I COULD be doing. But the question is what would best serve my mind and my heart – another 10 minutes of work, comparing myself to someone else for 10 minutes on social media, or indulging in the book I’m reading for 10 minutes… it’s usually a pretty easy decision! :)
I recently did the same thing! I deleted the Facebook app from my phone AND vowed not to look at it on the computer for a whole month! Just 5 days in and I can already see a difference. I’m more productive AND I have time to read! Hooray! :)