Books I Return To Again and Again (And Why)

Happy Friday! Hello, good people of the blogosphere. Welcome back. Our weekend is right around the corner, and I know you're all excited about that (well, I know I am). I have some travel coming next week, but the blog shouldn't suffer my absence. Today, though, I'd love to just have a chat about some of my favorite books of all time. These are books I can read over and over because picking one up feels a lot like coming home after a long journey.

You know when you've been away for a while, and you return home, and there are your things, your memories, and your comfort items you couldn't fit in a suitcase? That's the feeling I'm talking about. These reads warm you from the inside out. You remember the first time you read them, why, and the feelings you had along the way.

That's the topic for today. So, if you're ready to get going, grab one of those cozy comfort items, and hunker down for a scroll.

First up, and I know a lot of you have this as one of your favorite reads as well: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 

I don't know what it is about the first line of this book "It is a well-known fact that a man in possession of a great fortune must be in want of a wife." It always makes me feel like I'm opening the door to a familiar world and stepping into a beautiful story.

Character arcs in this book might be some of my favorites, alongside the next book, but the growth of both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is perfect. Both of them are consumed with pride about themselves and prejudice against the other. The former because the latter is rich and she thinks very highly of herself, though she doesn't say that. You can see it in the way she addresses Mr. Collins and Charlotte. Mr. Darcy shows his prejudice by talking about Elizabeth's sister Jane and their mother, looking down on the woman because she's so invested in making good matches for her girls. 

Let's not forget about Jane Bennett. She's perhaps one of the most humble, kind people ever to be written into a novel. I love Jane's personality of acceptance and gentleness. Everyone should strive to be more like Jane, in my humble opinion. She's close to perfect, but her rosy glasses are also a flaw.

I also get lost in the language, and if I'm not careful, I find myself thinking and writing in Austen's voice pretty often after reading. If you're looking for a wonderful story that's so much more than the film could ever be, pick it up. You won't be sorry. I read it every year.

Next up, we have The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Every time I go to read this, I find one of the books has gone missing and have to buy the whole series all over again. I read it once every few years, but I used to read it yearly, like the first. Life has a way of slowing us all down, sadly.

What do I love about this series? Wow. I feel like that's a long answer, but I'll try to sum it up. Let me think... It must be because of the hope it inspires. Because the characters are so beautifully flawed from day one, they have a lot of growth potential, and Lewis really does a great job of showing exactly how someone can go from being a total snot-nosed brat to being a responsible, accepting human with grace and a mind for discipline.

There are seven books in this series, and my favorite one is The Horse and His Boy. I was very upset that they quit making the movies after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because I was looking forward to seeing Shasta on the big screen. Perhaps they struggled to find a way back then to bring a voice to the horse who accompanies Shasta back to Narnia. They could do it well now, and they seemed to have no issue with Aslan, so I'm not sure where the hangup was.

Anyway, I adore all the characters in this series, probably as much as I adore the characters in Lord of the Rings. All of them are flawed, and all of them have beautiful character arcs. Over the next year, I hope to dive back in and rejoin Lucy as she steps through the wardrobe and discovers the magical world just beyond the doors.

This series really keeps your attention, so if you're looking for a long read that's well written and engaging, pick it up. Let me know if you enjoyed it.

What are some of your go-to books? Is there one you read yearly or often? Why? Drop me a comment and let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this post and it brought up some good feelings and memories for you.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Navigating Big Life Changes

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking about something that's hitting me hard right now, and that's Big Life Changes. Not only am I moving for the first time in over ten years, but I've also gone back to a previous job that's very demanding on my writer self. How the hell am I managing to also come back here and blog?

Well, that's the topic for today's post, silly. This is how I'm feeling about everything I have going on:

I know I can get wordy up here, but not today, gosh darn it. Get cozy and get scrolling!

Let's start by getting a rundown of things considered to be Big Life Changes. 

• Death of a loved one
• Changing careers or major career shifts
• Marriage or divorce
• Having children or becoming an empty-nester
• Major illness, injury, or health diagnosis
• Retirement or planning for retirement
• Starting or ending a significant relationship
• Financial gain or loss (bankruptcy, inheritance, winning money, job loss)
• Returning to school or significant educational pursuit
• Relocating to a new city, state, or country (separate from moving houses locally)
• Launching a new business or creative venture
• Significant milestone birthdays (turning 40, 50, 60, etc.)
• Becoming a caretaker for someone ill or elderly
• Pets passing away or adopting new pets
• Significant personal accomplishments (publishing a major work, reaching a personal goal)
• Spiritual or philosophical transformations

I don't know about you, but I'm going through a number of those right now:

• Relocating to a new state
• Becoming an empty nester
• Major career shift
• Pets passing away
• And I'm always struggling with my illness, so... Yeah...

It's a lot, but scheduling and planning helps a ton. One thing you have to keep in mind as you go through these things is carving out time for yourself. If you get sick or worn out, you won't have the energy to keep up with anything else. It's imperative you take care of you.

Steps I take to take to navigate huge task dumps:

• Talking it out over coffee with a friend
• Breaking tasks into smaller pieces so I can easily get my head around them
• Sorting and planning, realistically, time to do each task
• Writing everything out in a planner with time slots
• Using a timer to ensure I stick to the plan and wrapping up super quickly when it goes off

These not only save my sanity, but they allow me to accomplish things in smaller pieces so I get both a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment. Checking things off a list feels SO GOOD, doesn't it? Not only that, but I make sure to work in time for friends, family, and my own leisure pursuits (y'all know about the new Hunger Games book--enough said).

If I sit down and try to do everything at once, it all becomes a jumbled mess in front of me, but by breaking it down and scheduling it, everything suddenly has a time and a reason. It's much easier to accomplish little things than big ones.

My other job is rather demanding right now because I'm trying to clean up and get my team on a new path. Researching tools that will help us do our job was a big part of that, and properly utilizing the tools we already had, and are paying for, required a lot of up-front work. It was overwhelming, but I took a stand-back-and-examine approach, and I think I have our priorities sorted. That was a huge step. It's frustrating to see tools that aren't being used, but we've gotten our bull by the horns now.

Revitalizing this blog is a huge personal goal of mine, and because I'm unapologetic about what I post or if I miss a day, I feel like that turns a lot of people off. However, I refuse to change that about myself. If I can't do it, I can't do it, but I hope you all know I give it my level best. It's important to me, so I make it as much of a priority as I can. :)

Bear with me through the changes. We'll find our footing. I promise you.

What kind of Big Life Changes are you dealing with right now? Any advice to add?

I hope you all took something away from this post and enjoyed the read. Unsure what the next post will be about, but we'll get through it together! I hope. hahaha

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo