One of the assignments for this week is to: stop reading for a week. Yes, you read that correctly: NO READING FOR A WEEK! The idea being that we fill ourselves up with daily quotas of media chat and fluff and other bits and pieces of nonsense. Yes, there is certainly quality reading material and thought provoking novels mixed in, as well. But, in a sense, we all use reading to numb ourselves out the same way an overweight teenager uses junk food.
I
In a cruel twist of fate, my week of reading deprivation landed on the same week as the inauguration. So as much as I wanted to read about what was unfolding in the first few days of the administration, I was banned from doing so.
It's tricky: when you aren't reading and trying to whittle down the "to read" pile, it's tempting to fill up that time with TV. But that's just another name for the same thing. The idea is to be alone with our thoughts, instead of blocking them out.
I did have a lot of time to organize and sort, to clean and do laundry, and to think. Then I started looking around a bit. And I remembered some things I was GOING to do but forgot. I dipped into the project box and knocked off a couple of small ones. I hung up a picture. I brought out some valentine's decorations I had downstairs. I puttered.
I thought the hardest part would be at the gym. I'm used to tuning out and reading a magazine while doing cardio. Strangely, it wasn't that hard. Without my magazine shield, I was able to tune into my body a bit more and ended up having a few great workouts!
With 2 more days of reading deprivation ahead, I'm planning on having a productive weekend.
But I'm looking forward to getting back to everyone's blogs next week! I miss y'all!
2 comments:
I know you won't read this 'til next week :). I couldn't do it, as I have a book club meeting on Monday and I'm not nearly finished with the monster.
WOW.. You are so my stronger than me. I'd never make it. I don't have that kind of discipline.
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