Lifestyle Change

I spoke with a friend recently about how major changes in one's life can affect everything, even things that might go unnoticed at first.

I thought back over this past year and marveled at how many big changes occurred: I started a new job, my parents divorced, I moved in with my fiance, my fiance and I got married.

That's a lot of change. Most of it was very good for me, so I thought to myself, "Well, at least I'm not one of those people who lets change in their lives completely derail them."

Yesterday, I realized I hadn't posted my annual book list. Every year I post the books I read that year with recommendations. I opened up my book journal and froze. I read seven books in 2014. Seven.

To put that in perspective, let me give you the totals for the past few years:

2008 = 27
2009 = 47
2010 = 47
2011 = 59
2012 = 72
2013 = 32
2014 = 7

That's an average of about 47 books per year. Until this year.

And as much as I hate to admit it, reading isn't the only aspect of my life that was affected. My writing was too. I virtually stopped writing. In fact, honestly, for the whole of 2014, I think I wrote a maximum of five poems and one short story. That's really awful.

I'm getting back on track this year. I'm hesitant to include this and make it public because I'm not sure if I can truly follow through with it, but I'm going to give it my best shot--I'm going to write a poem every day in 2015. I've been successful thus far, but it is only day eleven.

I'm also going to start reading more again. I'm already almost done with one book and am halfway through another.

I also want to make it clear now that my then-fiance/now-husband is in no way responsible for me reading or writing less. He always encourages me when I do these activities. I think it was just at the end of the day, it was easier for me to mindlessly watch Netflix or play video games or even just space out. The thought of delving into another world of my own making or someone else's was too complex. Rather than seeing it as a release, I felt it was a burden. What a terrible mindset to have. I've happily obliterated that thought process.

Since it's so short, I will post my 2014 book list here. Recommendations have asterisks.

1. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman**
2. Bossypants – Tina Fey*
3. John Dies at the End – David Wong* (If you don't mind lots and lots of profanity, absurd violence, some sex, and lots of things that don't make any sense--but seriously, if you don't mind those things, please read this book. It's great.)
4. The Absolute Sandman Volume 1 – Neil Gaiman*
5. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened – Jenny Lawson*
6. Fragile Things – Neil Gaiman*
7. This Book is Full of Spiders – David Wong

There you have it.