Escape once in a while

No, I'm not talking about jumping on a plane and "getting away from it all"...I'm talking about chilling out with a good fiction novel, and letting yourself completely disconnect.  Turn off the blackberry/iPhone/whatever.  Go somewhere quiet.  Like a chair in the corner with a simple lamp.  Put a little red in the glass.  Tell everyone in the house if they bother you you're going to pepper spray them.  And then just relax.

One note on this:  I was talking with someone at dinner last night, and they said to me: "I just can't read books -- I just don't have the attention span".  I've heard this more than a few times over the years.

My response was pretty simple: "Keep trying.  If you're not used to it, it will take some practice to get into the groove.".

Great way to unplug, unwind, and get back to leading a more simple and uncluttered life.

Comments

[David]

I've also heard people say they don't have enough attention to read a book. It's something I never quite understood.

[Natalie]

I never used to understand why people said they did not have the attention span to read a book, especially as in my childhood, teen and early adulthood years I could spend hours absorbed in a story. I considered it a curse that I could read so fast and for so long, I never had the money to keep up with my voracious literary appetite!

These days, I'm lucky if I can concentrate long enough to read advertising slogans. I spend huge amounts of time on the Internet and watching movies and television - I believe they have conditioned my brain into being always passive, and to only process bite-sized chunks of information.

I've also just started studying again and I'm noticing my reluctance to read books - I have a PILE of books, all untouched, on my nightstand, so I decided about 6 months ago to dedicate some time to reading. I can read whatever the heck I like from trashy novels to scientific papers, doesn't matter, as long as I sit for an extended period and lose myself a little while.

Aaaah, the pleasure of an hour with a book. I had forgotten and the reunion is.. bliss :)

[Marc Feel Good Eating]

Now we're talking!
Love me some book time!
And now that my kids are older....I don't have to lock myself in the bathroom to read quietly anymore ;-)

Marc

[Yummy]

I think I ruined my eyesight doing this a little too often! :) haha!

Your pepper spray comment cracked me up...