The good, the bad and everything in between

Today’s blog is a bit different.  I hope you enjoy it none-the-less.  I wanted to be able to put my thoughts together and reflect on what I have learned about myself these last seven months. Even keeping in mind that this journey of healing is not over and I do not know all the consequences of my injury.  

“The only person you need to make happy in this world is you.” (The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley)

I prefer to read fiction.  I think you all know that by now.  I love a story that brings me a range of emotions.  Stories where people are searching for their future.  I know it is hard and sometimes there only seems to be hard choices.

“I’m starting to understand that maybe life isn’t something to get through with the least amount of discomfort possible. Maybe it’s about experiencing it all. The good, the bad, and everything in between.” (Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score)

Fiction helps me believe in the impossible.  I know that many people are challenging their choices and want something more.  I know that one of my favorite podcasters reminds me that you have to show up and be better.

 “It’s never easy. You fight every day. You work your ass off to be better than you were. And you show up, especially on the bad days, because they make you want to keep fighting.” (Fallen Jester by Devney Perry) 

Reading fiction helps me face change, something I am not always good at. I like to know where things are.  I like to be able to expect situations are things you can prepare for, but I have learned that is not true.  Sometimes a scratch is more than a scratch and leads to new possibilities.  

“…everything changes eventually and even difficult change is often ultimately for the best.”  (Annie’s Summer by the Sea by Liz Eeles )

Fictional characters often drop pieces of advice that make you stop and think about things in a different way.  I have found the older I get the more I try to find the why in people.  People’s opinions and beliefs are so intertwined with their morals, traumas, and life experiences. 

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”  (Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker) 

I read fiction for hope, for pleasure and almost always I read when I need to escape.  Let’s face it, doing dishes or cleaning the bathroom is not a pleasure and it is something I like to escape doing (not that we really can escape chores.)

“For me romance novels are the best.  They give me hope.  “They’re hopeful – and given the world we’re living in now, we need hope,  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with reading for pleasure.  For an escape.”  ( No clue where this came from – I took a picture on my phone and did not include the title or the author.)

These last seven months have really made me rethink my life.  Being in the hospital for a month.  Being confined to a small space and waiting for healing to happen is hard.  No bookstores, no going out to eat, and always being cognizant of where my leg is in space and keeping it elevated.  Always knowing that I will not feel cutting it or damaging it until after I see the damage. 

“That’s the point of life. To make anything awful seem hopeful and full of chance. That’s the trick of this existence. To find the possibility in the darkness.” (The Spinster’s Absolutely Sinful Adventure by Eva Devon)

There are new reviews to enjoy from my reading this week. Elise Cooper has interviewed Marc Cameron about his newest thriller.  She also sent in a guest review of The Mapmaker by Thomas Young.  So much cool stuff for you to see in this week’s offerings.