One of the first things to go when I got so busy was making time to read. If it wasn’t a trade journal, information I was authoring for a client’s needs or some other work-related material, I wasn’t reading it. Reading had become a luxury I could not afford. When others would post on social media about the books they had read or were reading, I almost got judgmental. A mean-spirited thought similar to “don’t they have anything better to do?” would run through my mind before I could control it. But even then I recognized what it really was: jealousy. I loved reading and getting lost in a story and it was incredibly sad to me that reading was too much of a luxury.
But now… .
I read my first book when we were in Antigua: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. Herriot (not his real name) was a vet in the Yorkshire dales beginning in the late 1930s and he weaves a warm and wonderful tale about the animals, farmers, landscapes and the lifestyle of a country vet. His first book inspired me so much that today I intend to crack open the second one, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” (And yes, I know that Masterpiece Theater has a series based on the book that airs on PBS. I’m an avid watcher and that’s how I got interested in the books.)
As much as I am looking forward to getting caught up in the calm, gentle and slightly funny writing of Herriot, I am also so looking forward to what reading a book actually means to me. There is no greater symbol of my new life than a dog-eared paperback. In the “you are here” neighborhood mall of my life, I’ve got a big star sitting over a symbol of a book. I’ve finally gotten to a good place.
It’s interesting that I find myself here today, too. Because today I also head to the dermatologist to check out some fairly large and changing moles on the top of my head. A misspent youth where I would often get a sunburn through my hair and the damage was done. I now run the gauntlet every year where the moles are concerning enough to keep an eye on but so far have not resulted in the dreaded skin cancer diagnosis that we are looking out for. Today very well could be the day my luck runs out or the day that I earn another reprieve.
While it would be horribly ironic that I would finally get skin cancer once my life had slowed down enough for me to catch my breath, I guess I am prepared as one can ever be for that kind of news. It is, I suppose, what it is. And if it’s bad, I’ll just have to deal with it.
As I move forward now with my new life, I need to clear this hurdle before I can truly relax and sink back into a slower pace. Truth is, I needed to have this visit six months ago. So, I’m overdue and honestly not looking forward to it. But in a few hours’ time, I will hopefully have a clean bill of health to move forward on. Or… a punch biopsy. I know the drill. It happens. That’s just how it works.
I was debating on whether or not to take my book to the doctor’s office. On one hand, it would be a distraction. On the other? Well, I don’t want either the book or the mere fact that I have time to read to become inextricably mixed with skin cancer news. In reality, it took me nearly two decades to be able to start reading again. I would rather preserve all of those good vibes and not have them linked to some crazy moles on my hairline. So, the book stays home and instead, Gail puts on her big girl panties and goes to the doctor just like everyone else.
But when I come home today? Good news or bad, I have the day in front of me. I need to spend a couple of hours putting together a slide deck for a client and at some point I need to figure out what’s for dinner along with about a half-hour of other housework. Other than that? Well, there’s time for a book. I read the first few pages of my new book yesterday when it arrived on my doorstep yesterday and I’m already hooked! On a day when the winter-that-wasn’t somehow returned to grace us with two inches of snow, it feels like a great time to curl up with a book in front of the fire today
So, that’s the big plans for today on the second full day of working for myself. Since my goal is only 10-12 hours a week (and I will hit at least 10 this week), that’s not bad. I had always intended for this week to be slow and I still have some “nonbillable” work to do to get my business set up. But yesterday’s three hours and today’s two hours keeps me on pace for the week.
It occurs to me that my old self would have gone crazy with this week. I would have been looking for a project, going back to work early or finding someplace to jet off to just to escape downtime. Instead, today is about curling up with a book. It genuinely feels like a treat I’ve worked years to earn.
The Yuppie Homesteader 