It takes me well over a month to read most books. A typical reading session for me is 15-30min, maybe every other day. I’ve never really thought of this as “slow” before; it’s just the pace at which I read for pleasure/leisure. But I was talking to a good friend who was floored by this – saying they typically finish a book in under a week, and wondering how I kept the entire narrative in my head over such an extended period. There are times when I have read more voraciously, but it’s not the norm.
I love reading, but I’m not only slow I’m sporadic. Historically, I’ll read for months straight, put my book down after finishing, and go months without reading at all. Unlike the pace of my reading, a thing I’m fully at peace with, I would like to improve this consistency. I’ve put a little extra energy into that this year, and it’s (so far) working. Mainly I’m keen to increase the regularity with which I read because it’s something other than mindlessly consuming content on my phone. It feels like such a better use of time, and my dislike of my phone (both as a “content source” and just overall) seems to only be increasing as time goes on.
The spirit of this year, moving beyond the narrow subject of books/reading for a moment, fits with an increased consistency in reading, though. This year we are choosing to focus local, to do good in our community, to be the change we’d like to see, to opt-out of the consumer-driven side of economy as much as possible – radically reducing our spending and where what we do spend is routed, and finally to do the same with our attentions, paying particular attention to where we spend them as well (as they are the far more valuable asset).
Somehow, all of that stemmed from thinking about how I read.
Hugs.
Also written on this day...
- southern hospitality - 2019
- dad's dream - 2017
- call me cheap - 2009
- life gets in the way - 2007
- family photos - 2004