I am so glad it is here.
Sunshine on shoulders. A scent on every breeze. New little cows dotting the fields, tiny shadows of their mothers.
What do you love most about this time of year?
writing, editing, photography
I am so glad it is here.
Sunshine on shoulders. A scent on every breeze. New little cows dotting the fields, tiny shadows of their mothers.
What do you love most about this time of year?
This is the story of how 52 cents made me unbelievably happy.
You know how sometimes the simplest things make us the happiest?
For about a week, I’d had an intense desire for a plain-ol’ McDonald’s soft serve vanilla ice cream cone.
Now, I know McDonald’s is an evil corporation that puts ridiculous chemicals in their food and is slowly taking over the world (This is me being hyperbolic, but it’s also probably true). So no lectures! Every now and again, you just need a taste of your childhood.
I was on the way home from work earlier this week and it was a perfect day: 68 degrees, sunny. The kind of day that really lets you know that spring is here to stay, even in a flip-flop of a weather state like Wisconsin. I had to run an errand, and I knew I would be driving right past a McDonald’s on the way – not my usual route home. And in a moment of weakness self-awareness, I made the decision to stop for an ice cream cone.
The reason I had not stopped before that week is that a) I had decided that I needed to stop eating so much sugar, like I do about once a week; and b) I was out of money in my “fund” – between a couple of lunches with coworkers in the last month and a bit of book splurging (typical), I was scraping the bottom of the barrel of my “fun money.” And we’re trying to be really, really diligent while we save for our house next year.
But – I had some change in my car’s center console. I dug around (safely, at a stoplight, of course) and managed to come up with 67 cents. I thought that might be just enough. I was going to stop.
And you know what? As soon as I made that decision, I was instantly happier. The construction zone on my way to the store didn’t bother me anymore. The fact that I had an errand to run and would be getting home later than usual was no longer an issue.
And when I pulled into that drive through – “One small vanilla cone, please” – and heard her read me my total, it was only 52 cents.
Fifty-two cents for a better commute. Obviously, I couldn’t “splurge” that way every day, because that would be something like $10 a month spent in McDonald’s ice cream cones, but this once? It made life a little happier.
Now, I know the maybe food making me this happy is probably another issue entirely, but I think it was the experience that made me giggle with joy and sing a made-up ice cream song that resembled the pickle song from “Little Rascals” as I drove, long-desired ice cream cone in hand.
What little thing did you do this week that made your day? I’d love to hear about it!
**If little things like this make you insanely happy, tune into Alicia’s series “One Small Thing” – I had no idea when I wrote this on Tuesday night that she would sharing something similar on her blog this week! **
I borrowed the above photo from Flicker user Alpha because I do not have the self control necessary to take a picture of my ice cream.
As a child, I read competitively. Not like it was an actual sport, of course – the only prizes given were for Accelerated Reader points, and those cheap trinkets were hardly a lofty prize. But I did read with the goal to read more than anyone else – and it was easy for me. Last year, without too much effort I read 65 books. I did this while working a full time job, a part time job, and running a small business and this blog, and I didn’t go without sleep to make it happen. That sounds a little braggy, but I say it only to drive home the point that reading is easy for me.
Reading has always been easy for me. But sometimes that makes me a lazy reader. I often race through the pages to add another book to my “done” list without pausing to think on it, to really seep up the words. The more I read, the more I forget, sadly.
And then I went to college. Studying for a double major in literature and history taught me something big:
The best reading is always done with pen in hand.
Holding a pen in hand transforms the reading experience from a passive to an active one. Instead of merely scanning the pages with your eyes, landing on each word long enough to comprehend it contextually and then move one, reading with pen in hand allows you as the reader to interact with the text and to ultimately get more out of each book that you read.
I tend to underline phrases or passages that make an impact on me as I read, or ones that seem to all follow an underlying theme. Once, I read Pride & Prejudice with the express purpose of noting any time one of the characters spoke about marriage in terms of money (spoiler alert: it was quite often).
I also ask myself questions in the margins – Is he being a reliable narrator here? What does this development mean for Joe? Can a person be in love and not in love at the same time? – any question that pops in my head as I read. Sometimes they are resolved by the end, and sometimes they are not. But taking note as I read is something that keeps me engaged with each portion of the text.
My goal with The 2015 Book Project was to slow down, to read more intentionally. I find that I do so better when I have a pen and a handful (or two) of those little post it flags to use as page markers to note the really good stuff.
So stop being afraid to write in your books (it’s another story if it’s from the library or a friend… unless its a REALLY good friend!)! Read actively, with a pen. You’ll remember more of what you read, you’ll be able to find underlined passages sooner, and you’ll get to know each book just a little better.
P.S. TWO separate people sent me a link to this Buzzfeed article the other day with “story of your life” as the caption. I take that as a compliment.