Look, I don’t hate winter. I mean, I used to, but this year I’ve found myself really leaning into the whole stay-inside-with-a-book lifestyle.
I was a bookworm when I was a kid, but these days I say that I’m a book collector. I sit here surrounded by books I have not read, but intend to read, hope to read, someday might get around to reading.
Some of these books belong to other people but I can’t remember who. When people lend books to me, I warn them of the dangers. I say, “You know you might not get this back, right?” I am a forgetful book collector. An accidental thief.
Anyway, Andrew has pointed out that my posting schedule has been a little off for a while. I’ve been reading non-Menno-related books and have had thoughts that I think are maybe too rabbit-trail-y, navel-gazing, and annoying. Oh, and also off-topic, which frankly annoys even ME. These thoughts lead to half-written notes saved on my phone in those early morning hours as I sit with a book and coffee, my note-writing interrupted by the pinging of my co-workers showing up at the virtual office. And so, each note is abandoned daily.
I’ll try to share some, though.
But for now, I just wanna say, I plan to get back to it. There are people in my life that are reminding me of what I find interesting and why.
One friend, whom I’ve essentially kidnapped into joining me for overly lengthy graveyard-hunting expeditions, has told me she hopes we’ll go find more.
My niece, whom I try not to bore with my Mennonite stories, has decided to write about this culture and asked if I have any books to help her research.
Most importantly, Andrew, who has been delving into our weird people’s culture alongside me for quite a while now, each in our own way.
This is why it’s important to have people in your life, and see them face-to-face — they remind you of who you are, and can reflect you back to yourself when you forget.
I once read that cellular turnover in our bodies happens at such a rate that every seven years, we are literally a completely different person. Is that even true? Anyway, even though we’re always changing, maybe sometimes it’s helpful to have folks nearby to remind us of what we’ve valued in the past. They can shake us from our reverie, and engage us in moving the conversation forward.
The year has just begun, and I have plans for books to read and places to explore. And books to read in places.
And so, I’m getting back to it. More blogs. Let’s go.
(Pictured: titles I thought my niece might wanna read… but she declined. This time.)