The optional prompt today for Stream of Consciousness Sunday at Jana's Thinking Place is “Blessings”. The “rules” are to write for five minutes, leave it be and hit publish. My five minutes are inspired by the following quotes from an article I read in the paper this morning.
“Have you experienced that
post-reading fog, where time has apparently stopped, or not stopped so much as
become irrelevant, hours passing like seconds and eons simultaneously? Does
television ever cause you to quite literally, take leave of your senses?”
“Television has gotten very skilled
at storytelling, and in that sense has largely caught up with prose fiction,
but fiction will always have an advantage: The book in your hands is the
product of a single human consciousness; in reading it, you and that other
consciousness are joined.”
***************************
Of course I know I am very blessed.
I’ve received a multitude of blessings in my life.
Love. Family. Friends. Health.
And this year my health was at the
forefront of blessings received. Looking back 7.5 months later, I am
extremely blessed to be walking, typing, even feeding myself.
But that’s not what I want to write
about today.
I have been truly blessed with the love of
reading. It is as intrinsic to my daily life almost as much as eating and
sleeping. Without it, I don’t know what I would do; what would stimulate my
mind and inspire me; what would take me places I may never go.
Of course, you could say that love
and family and friends should be my inspirations. They do inspire me but reading
is right there too. It’s my thing. It is, and has been from such an early age, a fundamental
part of me. It's what I do. It's how people know me. As a lover of books.
I adore a great “post-reading fog”.
I love feeling “where time apparently
stopped, or not stopped so much as become irrelevant,”
And I love being connected to another
person through writing. So what if they don’t know I exist or who is reading
their words. That matters not to me.
I feel blessed every time I open my
eyes, see beautiful things and read words on a page.
I love that it takes me away for
moments, hours, and years.
I feel blessed every day that the love of
reading was gifted to me.
I love a good book and especially when I am emotionall drained after reading. I love the escape, the life of someone else, the ideas, the way words are strung together.
ReplyDeleteI love books!
Oh, oh!!! I love that feeling too. I love when a book or a character or a few words remain with me long after I've turned the last page. It's like Calgon, take me away!!! Lead me anywhere and I will willingly follow. It's a beautiful thing.
DeleteSo glad to be connected to you, Gina. I share your love of reading and writing, and I too get my inspiration from books just as much as I do from my family. This line captures it: "And I love being connected to another person through writing." Yep! :)
ReplyDeleteYou cued right into the most important thing to me. In whatever manner I am able to connect with someone through words, written or spoken, is very important to me.
DeleteYay! :)
DeleteI love the escape of reading. Mini-vacations, is what I call them!
ReplyDeleteI love that...mini-vacations. I'm on vacation tonight and I'm on the Amalfi Coast. One of my favorite places to be.
DeleteThis is awesome Gina. And you really have had a unbelievable year -- as in 12 months. Sometimes it crosses my mind what you've been through and I'm like was that last summer? I love to read too. I need to find more time. Hug to you.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a very distant, far away, memory. At least that's where I've stuffed it. I have purposefully built time into every day to read (forsaking all other things I need to/must do), no matter what. It's feels so, so good.
DeleteOh, I can relate so much to this. I had a dad who read constantly, and taught me what a privelidge it is. I, too, love connecting with the author. It is an intimate experience, really.
ReplyDeleteWhile I've been in the process of applying for this literacy project job in Detroit, I learned that 80% of Detroit kids show up to Kindergarten unprepared. There are kids that don't even know how a book works, like to open the cover, and read from left to right, because they've never had a book read to them, and don't own any books. Can you imagine that? So it's really interesting to read this post, because the blessing of reading has been on my mind so much recently.
My mom is and always has been a big reader. I don't remember her ever NOT reading. My love for reading, which will become a post shortly, was shepherded by an old family friend that I've know since birth. She gave me my first poem to memorize when I was 2 1/2 years old (I recently asked her when she gave me "Fog" by Carl Sandburg because I thought I was 3-4).
DeleteIt totally is an intimate experience. I absolutely agree.
Did you get that job? I remember reading that you were interviewing.
That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard but I know it's true. I'm appalled by the harsh reality of this. I bet it's been in the forefront of your mind. And I hope you will be working with this literacy project so you can be the change in this awful situation.
I had a partial second interview on Thurs, but the VP was sick. I am meeting him tomorrow afternoon. I really want the job!
DeleteMy fingers will be triple crossed for you! Let me know the good news. Okay?
DeleteYou had a pretty full year, found more than a few ways to get into trouble, now didn't you. ;)
ReplyDeleteI hear you regarding reading, I never grow tired of it. The thrill of a good book is something that I am addicted to.
I know exactly what you mean about time standing still. I have experienced more than a few moments where I stayed up hours beyond when I should have because the book had captured my attention.
That was my ONLY trouble worthy event! Stop picking on the blondes.
DeleteIt's been the one thing in life that has never bored me (that's not to say that I am or have been bored with other things easily but I hope you know what I mean). I understand that addiction as well. It's an awesome drug!
That happens to me almost every night. No wonder I go through my day in constant need of a nap that I never seem to get or don't want even if I could find time for it.
I have had these thought EXACTLY! I am reading Alex Haley's Roots again. And I can't say again because after I got passed a certain point I realized I had never finished it. The hardback was a million pages, it seems less overwhelming on Kindle. Now I'm 80% through the book and I'm already missing the characters. The book is such a well told story, the television series didn't do it justice. I know there are plenty of good books out there, but I am thinking of going back to read some over again. It's been long enough now that I've forgotten details.
ReplyDeleteI have never read the book. In my opinion, and probably especially with that book, movie versions don't hold up. At least they don't for me. I have things imagined a certain way in my mind and I don't want anyone messing with it. I don't, sadly, read many books over again. I'm not sure why.
Deletewriting and books. and connections. YES YES YES! all gifts and blessings. loved reading this!
ReplyDelete