Were you a book worm as a kid? I was. I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I used to spend hours and hours reading, and I would devour countless stories.
But as I got a bit older, I started exploring other pastimes as well. I joined clubs and sports teams, picked up crafting techniques, became enamored by certain video games, and started working through big kid homework. In high school, I was reading less and less, and by college, I wasn’t reading anything outside of my schoolwork at all.
When quarantine started, all of the hours per week that I would have spent at work or at clubs were suddenly returned to me. It was the perfect opportunity to start reading again. I borrowed ebooks from my library, and set myself the very casual goal of ten books by the end of the year. After the first few pages, I started feeling that long-lost elation that I get from immersion in a story. I’ve missed this.
But I still love my other hobbies. I love my Animal Crossing island, and I’m so proud of the quilt that I’m making. So these days, I’m striking a balance in my free time between reading, crafting, and playing, and it’s been really nice. I’m making progress at whatever pace feels natural, and it’s brought me so much joy.