Switching on my laptop for a spot of free flow thinking….where will I go?

Sunday 27th December 2020

I went to bed at around 9pm last night. I do tend to like an early-ish night, but yesterday I wasn’t feeling great. A slightly foolhardy Boxing Day walk in Storm Bella without waterproofs meant that I spent much of the afternoon into early evening asleep/slothing on the sofa under a blanket, taking full advantage of the kids getting into their new games console.

I’m not sure if my headache and sore throat was psychosomatic as I seem to be feeling a thousand times better today. Calling a “sick day” on low mood and general malaise is key for me, as long as I don’t do it too often so that it tips into daytime brain fog. It can be hard balancing out the inner voices bickering: “I’m being selfish and lazy” vs “it’s ok you need a quiet nap and everyone will benefit,” but I think I’m getting better at letting the self-care me win over. It’s also important for me to offer the same rest time in return to James when he needs it, so he is having a lie in today (which he is terrible at and I wish he would do more).

Another plus is that I finished off reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene last night, which was really good and laugh out loud funny in parts – and intentionally written so – which I hadn’t appreciated. I think I had expected a 1960s Tinker Tailor or Jackal style novel but the Brit wit here was very welcome.

I’m now on to reading book 75 of 2020 (thank you lockdown)!! I have picked something that jumped out at me when I was scrolling around google for something “mindset orientated of the non-fiction variety” and opted for: My Life in 37 Therapies: From Yoga to Hypnosis and why Voodoo is never the answer, by Kay Hutchison.

A total wildcard pick but it sounds a lot like the journey I have been on for the last few years and so the blurb got me interested in reading about another on a fairly similar search for spirituality and meaning. So far, so good – the author is a Scot in London – as I was at one stage too, and I’m enjoying nodding along to the landmarks and circles she moves in. This is a fairly short read and whilst I suspect it won’t be groundbreaking in it’s findings, the voice is comforting and familiar.

I wasn’t in the mood to dive headlong into reprogramming my mind with a recently purchased Dr Joe Dispenza tomb last night, but I am intrigued by his cult like following and wonder what I will make of it when I do.

I like to always have a fiction and a non-fiction book on the go at any one time. My husband cannot get his head around this!

My non-fiction of late seems to stray into self-help territory, but I’m quite interested in Freud and social anthropology texts at the moment too, though these can be HEAVY GOING and aspects of Freud’s theories and lifestyle are a bit bonkers to say the least (a post for another day)!

I have also got a few “dip into anytime” books around.

My absolute favourite is: A Year with Rilke: Daily Readings from the Best of Rainer Maria Rilke by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy. I would say I treat this book in an almost biblical sense. I have made no secret of the fact that that I often struggle to navigate poetry; but if you need some short grounding/philisophical words now and again – Rilke is your man. This carefully curated and translated book is awesome (this is not a sponsored post – I just love it!)

Want to know where my recent tree love has stemmed from (boom, boom)? See Rilke – he is pretty much unbeatable as I see it.

Slightly less serious; I’m also dipping into Fleabag: the Scriptures, which is the complete two seasons in script form from this groundbreaking BBC show and am dabbling with some ZEN tales too, this requires some patience for the uninitiated.

So, I didn’t necessarily plan it this way when I turned on my laptop, but this post has turned out as a quick run down of my reading habits. I like looking back on these posts as providing valuable self-reflection as I always select my reads based on whether the blurbs match the vibe I’m channeling on any particular day.

What about you? Do you have any recommendation for me or views on any of the above?

It’s started snowing heavily outside and so it’s time to get comfy under a blanket with a cup of tea and, of course, my kindle. Not sloth style, obviously!! Have a great day!