Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A Refuge in Books


Instead of pulling the blanket over my head to avoid thinking about cannibalistic hens I reach for the solid feel of a book, plump the pillows behind my back, turn on the reading lamp and plunge into a good book.  This month has been spent paddling a river and communing with a woodpecker in “The Lord God Bird”, riding over New Mexico’s desert in “Death Comes for the Archbishop” and fighting for liberty with Abigail Adams and her sisters in the wonderful book “Dear Abigail”.  Without conscious thought the books that came into my hands this past month were so in tune with my struggling farmer self that it was almost scary.
Books serve a multitude of purposes and while it may not be the highest form of praise, escape is a universal favorite reason to read.  If along the way you also learn history, become enlightened with new ideas, find a path to understanding yourself better, have a laugh, a cry and a wringing of the heart along the way then you have some added bonuses in the pursuit of reading a good book.  Not just any old book a good book.  How rare to find that combination of good writing, a lovely story and the bonus. 
This month while I was bemoaning my losses and hiding my nose in a book my head was also going around and around in the pursuit of worthy topics to write about.  Setting the right tone (not being a Debbie-downer), being mindful, meaningful and humorous all at once is a challenge that does not always come easily to the fingertips (or the mind).
The latest 21 Day Meditation with Deepak and Oprah is about “Getting Unstuck” and entering week 3 I find the lightbulb in my mind has turned back on and I am ready.
Ah, the relief.

No comments:

Post a Comment