Taking up new things can sometimes be good, and sometimes bad. Two examples, would be, “Oh, I’ve taken up swimming laps every day.” Or then. “Oh, I’ve taken up heroin.”
You see. It all depends on the behavior.
I might add, right here, that I am in NO way making light of the heroin epidemic in America, and in the world. It is out of control, and ruining lives by the minute. But all of you know that, and there is no need to revisit this topic here. At this point, something needs to change, and there have not been any viable solutions thus far. We need bigger and broader thinking in places of power, on this. But I digress.
Taking up activities. Good activities.
Last year, I took up reading books. Before 2017, I had not read a book in years, and years, and years. So I started. In those 12 months, I read 18 books. I kept track of all those pages turned. I surely did.
And by early June of this year, I have completed 12 books. I thought for a while that I would surpass last year’s numbers, but I just started a book by Dostoevsky, and I suspect it will take a while. You see, I’m not very good at reading books. I am terribly slow. It amazes me how some people can read a 100 books in one year. That is far beyond my capabilities.
Nonetheless, I read a lot. I am constantly reading articles, books, reviews, ingredient labels. You name it, I’m there, sounding out the words. My inbox is filled daily with a stream of articles. Quite a few people send me things to read too. I must have that kind of face. I like when they send me things. It broadens my world.
It broadens my world.
That sentence just caught me. It made me think that no matter what good activity we take up, it is broadening our world. It is making us better. Be it swimming laps, knitting, gardening, power lifting, or reading books. We do these things, ultimately, to make ourselves better.
Here’s another thing that came to mind. Making yourself smarter, or more adept, or better, does not make you an elitist. That term grates me. Doing those things just means that you are engaging in life in positive ways. For the good.
And there it shall go. Believing you can, you can. Moving in the direction of your dreams day after day, makes it happen. So. Give them something to talk about. Rock on. Hi-Ho Silver and Away. I think we should broaden our worlds, and maybe even someone else’s. Today. Bake those cookies. Run that mile. Fix that carburetor. Read that book. What a shining star, you. You.
==========
“Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
==========
“The sun shall always rise upon a new day and there shall always be a rose garden within me. Yes, there is a part of me that is broken, but my broken soil gives way to my wild roses.”
― C. JoyBell C.
===========
“To do better is better than to be perfect.”
― Toba Beta
===========