Slice of Life: March 6 -- Prioritizing

Oh, how I've missed you.  You've never been far away.  In fact, you've been close by, often right by my side.  I hate to admit that I have neglected you.  You've gone unnoticed, unrecognized, even though you have been a constant in my life for quite some time.  I have failed to seek you out.  You have been pushed aside many times as I opted for other things to occupy my time and attention.  Even still, you have always been there, begging me to return.  Somehow, however, I can't seem to make myself.  My eyes are heavy and my mind would rather not have to think, but instead, be captivated by something requiring less thought and attention.  Still, though, you sit there staring at me, and little by little, I find myself missing you.  "Will I have the time?" I ask.  Uncertain of the answer to that question, I can no longer deny that my curiosity has the best of me.  I settle in, decide it's time to begin again.  I grab a cup of coffee, prop up my feet, turn to page one, and begin reading my fist novel since summer.

It's not that I don't love reading.  I truly do.  As I said, I have missed it over the course of the past several months.  Unfortunately, however, it often falls to the bottom of my to-do list.  It gets overlooked or passed up when other options present themselves.  On many occasions, it is met with good intentions, but after a long day, reading becomes my last resort and is met with heavy eyelids that crave sleep.  

This weekend, however, I vowed to make the time to read.  It was not easy.  I carved out little slivers of time here and there, starting and stopping multiple times as I was interrupted by other more important duties.  The book I had hoped to finish is still sitting on my coffee table, with more than half the pages still left unturned.  That's okay, though.  I didn't meet my goal of finishing the book, but I met my goal of reading, of truly setting aside the time rather than making it an afterthought at the end of the day.  

I've learned that in life the things that get done are the things you make time for.  They're the things that you put at the top of your list.  They're the things that keep you up at night if you failed to complete them.  They're the things that you sacrifice and compromise to make sure they happen.  There are many things on my list that fall into this category, but reading hasn't been one of them.  From now on, I'd like to change that.  I'd like to make reading (for enjoyment, not just for learning) one of my daily priorities.  Sure, I still like to read educational articles and books and I enjoy reading non-fiction books that help me live my life with a greater purpose.  Sometimes, however, I just want to read a good, old fashioned novel.  A book read for pleasure.  A book that I can get lost in, that can take me away from the demands of the day.  

Add it to the to-do list.  That list is getting awfully long, but I'm hoping by adding things I love, it won't seem quite so long after all.