I'm not reading, so...

The world is on fire right now, and honestly I haven't had the mental space to read. Prior to April I was averaging reading 9-12 books. I started the year strong even though we were still figuring out the RWA mess. But I WAS NOT prepared for COVID-19 to essentially bring the world to a stand still. The unknown of this infectious disease coupled with the mismanagement and unpreparedness of the current administration was just too much. I couldn't focus. I couldn't read. Thankfully I had some foresight to post that I needed take a short break from blogging.

I really hoped that by May the tides would turn. I was wrong, very wrong. I did not expect the intensity of events would remain this high. May was essentially an anxious person's nightmare or if you are a religious person, the contemporary equivalent of the book of Revelations. COVID numbers spike, wildlife researchers found murder hornets, and numerous police killings converged  together. 2020 can we talk???  

 As a result reading was NOT a priority. 

Now, firmly into the second week of June with no indication the current events will calm down, I realized I need to refocus on areas I can control. This shift looks like supporting friends and family, identifying ways to support causes, and recommitting to support diverse stories. I posted on Instagram my initial inventory- check out my pinned Recommendations story and the post for business info. Needless to say, I want to grow this list. It's not enough and I can't take the easy route. 

In addition to increasing my support for causes, I also started tracking my plant-based diet journey. The decision to share this part of my life is really friends encouraging me to share another part of my life. Also, in some ways they can continue to support me, get ideas, and potentially make diet changes. If you want more info follow my Weekend Eating Instagram/Twitter accounts.

These two small changes hopefully will help me to slowly create some type of normalcy. Reading was my happy place. I miss it. Not to mentions, if I don't read I can't create bookish content. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. What am I posting if I'm not reading? Should I really be engaging with the book community if I am not reading? I know it sounds dramatic, but these are some of the questions I've asked myself. Notwithstanding, I still chat with bookish friends pretty regularly, but that's about it. I don't feel like I can engage with the overall community if I'm not reading. 

Sigh!!!!!!

Fingers crossed I can get out of this feedback loop, because I miss ya'll 😢😭. So this post is another small step to take back some control. Eat, read, and blog, let's see how that goes. 

Until next time (hopefully two weeks), happy reading and be safe!