Eating Exploring Reading

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New Beginnings…

Starting this blog was something I’ve put aside for far too long but when I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands during lockdown, I decided I shouldn’t procrastinate anymore and finally get to it.

I love the start of something new: there’s always excitement, a little fear, lots of doubts but also hope. Beginnings can be quite scary, given the fact that you haven’t done anything similar before. Like me. I’ve always loved writing: when I was a kid, I would come up with short stories and poems; growing up I was really into journaling; I even started writing a novel a few years ago which I should definitely finish by the end of this year. But keeping this blog feels different because it’s personal, like a diary, but much more scary because everything is ‘out there’, people can actually read your thoughts. And that makes you vulnerable in some kind of way, exposed. And you know how people are sometimes. They can judge, critisize, make fun and be mean for no reason, just because being behind their screens makes them feel more powerful. This is not the best experience, especially if they don’t know you in person. So, there are two things that I’m afraid of about this whole new blogging experience:

  • that no-one is going to read my blog
  • that someone will actually read my blog.

So to whomever is reading my blog I say:

Welcome, fellow Reader! Let’s talk about books!

Putting yourself into other people’s shoes…

What I talked about earlier is not always the case, though. People can also be supportive, appreciative, kind and open for a constructive discussion. That’s what I’m hoping would be the case with my blog. I want people to be able to discuss in a polite way, to share their thoughts and opinions without judgement or fear of being judged. I’m hoping to create our own community that is united by one thing mainly: books. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that people who read are the best people. They are compassionate, they empathise with others, they can ‘feel’ and ‘see’ the world from another person’s perspective. That’s what books teach us, don’t they? To put ourselves into other people’s shoes. That’s the magic of reading as well – it gives us the opportunity to live many lives, to understand many points of view. Therefore, I’m sure that here I’ll find great people who love books and reading, who are ready to discuss bookish topics and who share the same passions as mine.

Passions…

Speaking of passions… I have so many that I can talk about them for hours. Here in this space I’ve tried to narrow them down to these three: reading, eating and exploring. For me they are connected in a way, they go hand by hand. When I was a kid I would read literally ALL. THE. TIME. I would eat my breakfast, lunch and dinner while reading. I would go to bed with a book, wake up with a book, I would skip gatherings with friends, so that I can finish that book I’ve started (my fiancé is still angry about this). I also used to read in the car while my dad was driving, which didn’t turn out to be my best idea because I’m pretty sure that was one of the reasons for my myopia and the need to wear glasses. Nowadays, I’m still the same bookworm, I’m reading on the bus on my way to work, when I’m queueing or even when I’m walking down the street (on pavements only, never when crossing the street). One of the reasons I love travelling long distances is because I know I’ll have a few hours of just sitting down that I’ll only dedicate to my book. This is a feeling I can’t find a word for – the anticipation of a long journey that you know you’ll spend with a special book. One thing that has changed is that I don’t tend to read while I’m eating anymore because food marks on the pages are disgusting and because it’s better to eat mindfully, to be present and to actually taste, smell, experience and appreciate the food in front of you.

What I’m trying to say is that you can pretty much read all the time, anywhere. And you should. Reading is good for you. Same as eating, same as exploring. They all make you escape from reality for a while, relax your senses and enjoy life. You know what they say… dinosaurs (another HUGE passion of mine) didn’t read and look at what happened to them, poor creatures!

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