Thoughtful Thursday

What’s on the agenda for today, ladies? Exercising your mind/eyes by reading. These days it is so hard to find time to sit and relax, and too often when we do we flop down on the couch, remote in hand, and allow the “plug-in-drug” to take us away like a Calgon bubble bath commercial promises to do! (By the way, if you do watch TV and have TiVo or some capability of recording your shows ahead of time, realize that by fast-forwarding through the commercials can save you about almost half time viewing time!) But I digress…

This morning in my email was a wonderful article about reading by Alan Henry on www.lifehacker.com (a website I highly recommend). It’s entitled, “How to Boost Your Reading Comprehension by Reading Smarter and More Conscientiously”. No, it’s not an ad for a speed-reading course, but a thoughtful view of reading, how we do it, and how we can make it better. It can be found at http://us1.forward-to-friend1.com/forward/show?u=251e609e1dba3888b86c21cc8&id=f17b4be4f6.

I have usually always tried to keep some kind of reading material with me at all times – a magazine, book, something that I can pick up whenever I’m waiting for an appointment, or on the treadmill at the gym, even waiting in line at the grocery store. (Sorry, reading the tabloid headlines and sneaking a peek inside doesn’t count as reading). And while I love the fact that we can read so much electronically, in my humble little opinion there is nothing like reading a REAL BOOK. I love the smell of the new pages, and I love writing notes, highlighting, and the feel of it.
Now with the advent of a plethora of e-readers, and with the Kindle feature on my iPhone, it’s even easier than ever. If you’re not used to reading much, start with a magazine, then a short story, then go for the whole hog and read War and Peace… ummmm… okay, perhaps a bit too enthusiastic… just a book will do! Try a chapter a day.

I’m putting together my yearly reading list – I try to read at least one book a month outside my industry readings, class textbooks and Bible. January I am reading Mark Batterson’s “The Circle Maker” in real authentic book format. I want to try and read a wider variety of subjects this year as well, and include at least one or two classics in the group.

Won’t you join me in exercising your reading option this year? I’d love to hear from you – what are you currently reading?

Blessings,
Linda