Unemployment Time Zone

Without the rhythm of a daily work routine, it has become apparent just how much time and energy I had been spending on my job. I hadn't taken a vacation in seven years, and much of what little personal time I had was spent worrying about or doing something for someone else. Once free of my job, I had to decompress.  I started by reading.

Purchasing new books is an old vice for me. But my changed income requires a disciplined restraint and a modified reading approach. Now that I borrow from my local library branch, I'm on the clock, which takes a bit of pleasure away from the experience. Typically, I read several books at one time: classic or new fiction, essays, short stories, memoir, and nonfiction. If a library book is in the mix, though, I have to focus on it rather than reading round-robin. I'll adapt sooner or later. 

I know that I'll have to move; I just don't know when or where to. But in preparation, I've decided to radically reduce the contents of my library. If you've ever moved a box of books, you know why.  You can't pack too many books in a box or it will be too heavy to carry.  And when you have hundreds of books, you end up schlepping oodles of boxes up and  down stairs (we always end up on the top floor of buildings, no elevator). Or you pay someone else to do it. Move often and those books get pricier and pricier.  So before I choose what to part with, I'm making certain that I've read each and every one.

Over the years, I've started many a book only to find myself not in the right frame of mind to finish it. I've put such books aside with the intention of trying again later. Well, now is later.