2019 Adventure
This is the time of the year where I start to think about what I want to accomplish the next year. What my word will be, what I want to do, give up, try.... I have done some hard things - some life changing (for me) things. And I have just towed the line, like this year. This year I chilled. I worked a little on me - understanding me. But when I count it up, it may have been a fallow year for me, and that is just fine. Biblical. Ordained.
But I am antsy - feel a stirring. It is entirely due to my youngest driving and the time I have to myself now. It is glorious. As a precious Love of mine always says "The best is yet to come." She speaks truth.
Best is not always synonymous with easy. Most often best is earned - hard earned. Does that mean that life continues to get harder? No. It means we do things we didn't expect to do when we were younger because we are smarter, less scared, more adventurous, know the risk/reward ratio is worth it. Understand priorities and what is important.
So.... Back to me.
Books. I have often joked that one year I will read only what I own down in my library. Lets be honest. That will only happen if there is a EMP blast over these United States and I am unable to access the Internet, electricity, the Library, my audio books. Think Zombie Apocalypse (which I am prepared for, but that is an entirely different blog post and one I may not readily admit to because hello, Zombies, and it would mortify my mother.)
Sorry, I digressed. Books. A few years ago - probably like 6 or 7, John wanted an entire set of the Harvard Classics. Seriously. So, as a good wife, I hunted down the best, most complete set at the best price I could find. I tried piecing a set together on Ebay - books are heavy. I went to Better World Books (the only time they let me down). Abe's. And to Craigslist. Craigslist won and I soon headed down to Norman to exchange cash for books in a parking lot feeling slightly clandestine and subversive....
**Funny story, the first time I bought off CL was in Norman, was going to meet a guy at his storage facility in between games one of the boys was playing in Moore. Lets just say the Hubs came to when he heard my plan and was incredulous I was even planning on meeting a random guy at his storage locker. When you say it like that, it has a True Crime vibe. V came too because she wanted to see the scene. Turns out, it was a pot hippy selling fun stuff and V was more dangerous than he. Memories.
So, now I have this set downstairs, darn near perfect and I am sure never been violated and read. It comes with a book on how to read the books. Really. What if that was my yearly project next year. It would go hand in hand with my previous post - I would be learning something new or rereading something I have previously heard - dont ever doubt that listening to an audiobook counts. I will fight you over this.
So now, this is my tentative plan. I will live with it for a while. Turn it all around in my head. It is a commitment as I have to actually hold the book. Do they have the Harvard Classics in audio form? Please hold.... Yes. Yes they do. There are several options - a paid for version which keeps track and gives you a daily reading. Or its hit or miss on the volumes with some "Community" reading. Hmmm. We are narrator snobs in this family and a commoner may not be able to live up to our standards. We rarely abide an author reading their own books. Anyway, it should be in book form, actually held, otherwise the previous post is moot and my brain continues with its atrophy into the Internet pit.
Already I am wondering on the "Rules". Do I have to reread something I have already read? The first volume contains Ben Franklin's autobiography and I have read him. He is a hoot, generous, amazing, creative, and a little bit of a toot. I adore him. I am going to peruse the How To book... See how much I have already read and make adjustments. See how long it recommends taking to do the 5' Book Shelf. Is it even doable in a year without spending hours a day.... Are there online quizzes?
** I have been living with this post in Draft form for more than 24 hours. I have read the little How To book. It contains a plan on what to read each day for 15 minutes. 15. Apparently the books in my basement are not complete works, but edited forms. I am not sure how I feel about this. Its almost 23,000 pages, but I wonder if I give those pages to full works, what would happen. And then I think about the Iliad and the Odyssey and how there was so much whining by Odysseus and I could have totally gotten the story without the baggage. Same with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy....So. Much. Walking. And I am back to giving the 15 minutes a day for what basically constitutes a Readers Digest condensed version. I also remind myself that this isn't my only form of taking in information. I will still listen to copious amounts of books and may even pick some others up in "real" form. So, all this processing via the last paragraph on this blog post has me back in the camp of reading the Harvard Classics 5' Bookshelf. Bless. And now I want to start right now...
Now I need to think about my word, but its not me that does the heavy lifting on that one... the Spirit usually collaborates.
But I am antsy - feel a stirring. It is entirely due to my youngest driving and the time I have to myself now. It is glorious. As a precious Love of mine always says "The best is yet to come." She speaks truth.
Best is not always synonymous with easy. Most often best is earned - hard earned. Does that mean that life continues to get harder? No. It means we do things we didn't expect to do when we were younger because we are smarter, less scared, more adventurous, know the risk/reward ratio is worth it. Understand priorities and what is important.
So.... Back to me.
Books. I have often joked that one year I will read only what I own down in my library. Lets be honest. That will only happen if there is a EMP blast over these United States and I am unable to access the Internet, electricity, the Library, my audio books. Think Zombie Apocalypse (which I am prepared for, but that is an entirely different blog post and one I may not readily admit to because hello, Zombies, and it would mortify my mother.)
Sorry, I digressed. Books. A few years ago - probably like 6 or 7, John wanted an entire set of the Harvard Classics. Seriously. So, as a good wife, I hunted down the best, most complete set at the best price I could find. I tried piecing a set together on Ebay - books are heavy. I went to Better World Books (the only time they let me down). Abe's. And to Craigslist. Craigslist won and I soon headed down to Norman to exchange cash for books in a parking lot feeling slightly clandestine and subversive....
**Funny story, the first time I bought off CL was in Norman, was going to meet a guy at his storage facility in between games one of the boys was playing in Moore. Lets just say the Hubs came to when he heard my plan and was incredulous I was even planning on meeting a random guy at his storage locker. When you say it like that, it has a True Crime vibe. V came too because she wanted to see the scene. Turns out, it was a pot hippy selling fun stuff and V was more dangerous than he. Memories.
So, now I have this set downstairs, darn near perfect and I am sure never been violated and read. It comes with a book on how to read the books. Really. What if that was my yearly project next year. It would go hand in hand with my previous post - I would be learning something new or rereading something I have previously heard - dont ever doubt that listening to an audiobook counts. I will fight you over this.
So now, this is my tentative plan. I will live with it for a while. Turn it all around in my head. It is a commitment as I have to actually hold the book. Do they have the Harvard Classics in audio form? Please hold.... Yes. Yes they do. There are several options - a paid for version which keeps track and gives you a daily reading. Or its hit or miss on the volumes with some "Community" reading. Hmmm. We are narrator snobs in this family and a commoner may not be able to live up to our standards. We rarely abide an author reading their own books. Anyway, it should be in book form, actually held, otherwise the previous post is moot and my brain continues with its atrophy into the Internet pit.
Already I am wondering on the "Rules". Do I have to reread something I have already read? The first volume contains Ben Franklin's autobiography and I have read him. He is a hoot, generous, amazing, creative, and a little bit of a toot. I adore him. I am going to peruse the How To book... See how much I have already read and make adjustments. See how long it recommends taking to do the 5' Book Shelf. Is it even doable in a year without spending hours a day.... Are there online quizzes?
** I have been living with this post in Draft form for more than 24 hours. I have read the little How To book. It contains a plan on what to read each day for 15 minutes. 15. Apparently the books in my basement are not complete works, but edited forms. I am not sure how I feel about this. Its almost 23,000 pages, but I wonder if I give those pages to full works, what would happen. And then I think about the Iliad and the Odyssey and how there was so much whining by Odysseus and I could have totally gotten the story without the baggage. Same with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy....So. Much. Walking. And I am back to giving the 15 minutes a day for what basically constitutes a Readers Digest condensed version. I also remind myself that this isn't my only form of taking in information. I will still listen to copious amounts of books and may even pick some others up in "real" form. So, all this processing via the last paragraph on this blog post has me back in the camp of reading the Harvard Classics 5' Bookshelf. Bless. And now I want to start right now...
Now I need to think about my word, but its not me that does the heavy lifting on that one... the Spirit usually collaborates.
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