Evidently, my enthusiasm for reading has returned.
Last year I didn’t read a whole lot. I made peace with this, but now see this as evidence of being out of balance. I first noticed my interest in reading waning during my “marathon year,” 2021. There’s no question that marathon training takes up a lot of energy, both physically and mentally. It affected everything else in my life, especially my energy to go out, perform, and even read books.* Last Fall, I attempted to balance out marathoning with the rest of life, but I’m not sure I succeeded: things only started feeling better when I decided not to run the CIM last December and began my healing process by working with a sports chiropractor.
Because of these changes I enjoyed a pleasant, mellow Holiday, during which I gobbled up Matthew Perry’s autobiography “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” read Stephen King’s “Fairy Tale,” and started reading a book to my wife one day when we had a blackout. I have read three more novels since, and am now enthused to go full steam ahead to my next reading adventure.
On a related note, my life is clearly more fun now, with a nice variety of extra-curricular activities. In addition to reading and exercise–which includes running, swimming, and even yoga–I am playing piano for a school play, composing, and of course, blogging. The medley of activities is well-balanced, with no one activity taking up too much time or drawing too much energy. This reminds me of the Pre-pandemic, pre-marathon me, when I was doing a lot of the same types of things.
Thank You, Balance!
*Curiously, even with marathon training last year, I did not see a negative impact on my ability to blog or compose. In fact, I probably composed more than ever last year. And of course, I started my second year of 365 Day Blogging.