Reading as an anchor

Avid Day 16

I find that after 2-3 weeks of incorporating something new into my life, two things start to happen: it begins to feel larger and heavier, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Has that happened to you yet? Life will seem to revolve around reading for a little bit. It’s exciting, consuming, and gratifying. It feels as if every other thing that you do is connected to reading by a string. This feeling fades after some time—or rather, it blends in a little better with all of life’s other activities. The weight doesn’t feel so much like a heaviness, but more of a magnetic pull as time goes on, as long as you stay consistent with it. But right now I want to try and take advantage of this heavy phase. I call it the anchor phase.

This reading practice has become an anchor. It’s pulling you earthward, it’s grounding you. It becomes very important to get intentional about what else is attached to this anchor’s string, because ultimately those things will start to become a part of your grounding practice as well. Make sense?

Answer these questions in your journal:

• What are non-negotiable responsibilities and practices in your life? Work, walking the dog, taking your children to school could be some examples. These are immutable routines and we will not be messing with them, but it’s good to take stock of what is immovable in your life so that we can see where else a shift can take place.

• Think about the activities that have orbited your reading so far. Is there anything there that doesn’t feel necessary or right? Think about how it would affect your life if you distanced your reading from those activities. I used to wake up and get sucked into my phone while checking email/notifications before turning to my morning reading. I didn’t like the connection that was forming there, so now I wait to look at my phone until after I’ve had a cup of tea, done my reading, and started making breakfast. Mornings feel much more nourishing now.