The Challenge of a Reading Challenge

If we're Facebook friends you know that I am in the midst of a 2016 Reading Challenge.  I've always been an avid reader.  I remember leaning over the side of the bed with a flashlight, reading a book strategically placed under the bed, in a room I shared with my sister, when I was in elementary school.  As a middle schooler I remember hiding my book inside the textbook I was supposed to be reading during class.  In high school I backed off of pleasure reading significantly because the reading demands for my AP English class consumed all of my time.  As a college student and adult I rediscovered pleasure reading and turned my love for it into a career.  As a reader however, I have tended to have a narrow lane.  I find an author or series I like and read everything that author or series has to offer, over and over again in many cases.

In 2014 I decided to challenge myself to get out of the habit of reading the same things over and over.  I decided I would read one fiction book, followed by a nonfiction book, alternating throughout the year and attempting to read 50 by the end of the calendar year.  I gave up on the alternating at some point during the year and ended up reading 36.

In 2015, I found two reading challenge lists on Pinterest that I thought I would try.  The first, the Popsugar 2015 Ultimate Reading Challenge, was the one I stuck with the most.  The second, also by Popsugar is 50 Books, 50 States:  A Literary Map of America.  I discovered if I read the 50 states list, I would also satisfy the requirements of the Ultimate Reading Challenge list.  Piece of cake right?  The titles are all there for me.  Except the reader inside me kept me going to back to titles that were comfortable and justifying their fit into the reading challenge.  In February of 2015 I got derailed in my quest for 50 books.  After my brother died I stopped reading.  For months I would not pick up a book. Part of my grief journey included not allowing myself to feel pleasure.  I felt guilty for being happy or satisfied, so I avoided things that I enjoyed, which included reading.  After regular counseling, time and self-reflection, I began doing things I enjoyed again and in the latter part of the year, I pushed and speed read, managing to read 37.

In 2016, I found a new Reading Challenge List, still from Popsugar, the 2016 Ultimate Reading Challenge.  After reading five books in the last week, I'm currently sitting at 19 books completed.  Here are some challenges I have in getting this list done... 1) If I don't start with the reading challenge criteria, the book I select often doesn't fit the list.  (Only about 12 of the 19 are on the challenge list.)  2)  When I am working, I read less.  3)  It takes me a lot longer to finish a nonfiction book than it does a fiction one.

I'll keep plowing, but given how far behind I am, it is very likely that for the third year in a row, I won't hit 50 books.  A failed goal.  Again.  Maybe I should aim for 38?

George H. W. Bush Presidential Library

On Saturday, my mom and I visited the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Texas A & M University.  It was my first visit to this library and to College Station at all.

One of the cool things about presidential libraries, at least for me, is that I learn so much while I'm there!  I had no idea that President Bush isn't originally from Texas, or that he held numerous federal government jobs and posts before running for president himself.  It was an excellent visit.  I enjoyed getting to share this one with my mom.  Here's a sampling of what we saw....

Oval Office Replication

A small scale replication of parts of the White House

At the exhibit where I learned that at one time George H. W. Bush was the head of the CIA, we were able to scan our hand and watch this TV screen as it focused in on exactly where we were standing!  I'm the one closest to the bottom of this picture.

If you're ever down in the College Station area, you should stop at this presidential library!

Daily Scripture Writing

I've never been good at daily Bible reading.  I was envious in college of those that could start a plan and stick with it, because that's not something I've ever been able to do.  Start a plan...yes.  Finish a plan...no.  Then on Friday I saw the picture below posted by my friend, Kristen Chapman for a July schedule of daily scripture writing.

This was very interesting to me.  I enjoy handwriting notes or letters.  The literacy professional in me knows that the act of writing creates memory traces that help me better recall the things I've written.  The writer in me just enjoys the feel of a pen or pencil moving across the page.  This scripture writing plan allows me to put something I enjoy...writing, with something I'm not very good at...daily scripture reading to hopefully create a new routine that fosters my spiritual growth.

After seeing the picture and reading some of Kristen's friends' comments, I knew this would be a blessing for me, so I went looking for the source.  I found the blog, Sweet Blessings.  I began my scripture writing on July 1st, and it's already been a blessing to me and it's only been three days!  I'm sure I'll change and tweak how I do it going forward, but for now, I'm spending time with God daily and that's the important part.