A forgotten or maybe better put is an ignored skill I had is that of reading on a regular basis. For years after I completed my masters degree I was loathe to pick up a book. The education process had so changed my reading from being a joy to just a chore. Fast forward a number of years when I was regularly taking transit, and I started to read again. I was firmly in the only reading non-fiction camp as I simply struck out many times with fiction. It was a great time of reading about things as the History of Bread, Malcolm Gladwell, and various books around mental health.

Once I stopped taking transit to regain hours in my day, reading once again suffered greatly. I admit to being horrid at finding quality in my relaxation - often wasting time by watching hours of YouTube, social media, and mindless games. Those things can bring joy, they can also bring a sense of hollowness as a point of relaxation. Five or so years pass again and I finally take up reading again and this time I finally embrace reading and start to pick up fiction books.

I've read authors such as Mitch Harron, Louise Penny, and others. It's been a joy to simply read and notice the calm that generates over period of time. I do find myself reading consistently before bed, mostly thanks to a great reading light that my daughter gave me. So once again here I am enjoying reading but it is reading something that's not pushing me to learn, respond, or the like. It's just reading to use my imagination of what the characters are like and what could be coming next.

I hope you find some joy in reading something these days.