I have just started a book club with some women friends. The inaugural meeting was really interesting. We have 12 members & they each had to say what they were reading at the moment & suggest a book for us all to read. We will read a different book each month.
I'm really looking forward to widening the scope of my reading & recommendations from other people seems a really good thing to me. Indeed the suggestions were very eclectic & we had to limit the number. I tend to go for particular genres - travel, politics, crime - both fiction & non fiction ......So I'm hoping to widen the field a bit. I also tend to read everything an author I like has written, so variety will be welcome.
But as well as the obvious benefits in terms of the reading, the women in the group were very different & widening my social contacts will be good too. I have had to work quite hard at not becoming insular & isolated now I'm widowed. I think I am surprised at the effort maintaining a social network takes when you are a single. Sometimes it does all seem like too much effort & it is easier to just stick to your routine & familiar things. I also have to travel a lot more to see old friends, which means I have to do all the driving, whereas Dave always used to drive.
It can all be quite exhausting, but the pain, (very real in my case), is more than worth the gain. I have done more in the last 3 years than I ever did before. I also have the confidence building satisfaction that I have done it myself. When you are part of a couple you don't need to make the effort, because you have eachother. I have found that women in particular are very encouraging & supportive.
I'm really looking forward to this. I've never done it before, but I think it will be great fun - hopefully not too intellectual!
I'm really looking forward to widening the scope of my reading & recommendations from other people seems a really good thing to me. Indeed the suggestions were very eclectic & we had to limit the number. I tend to go for particular genres - travel, politics, crime - both fiction & non fiction ......So I'm hoping to widen the field a bit. I also tend to read everything an author I like has written, so variety will be welcome.
But as well as the obvious benefits in terms of the reading, the women in the group were very different & widening my social contacts will be good too. I have had to work quite hard at not becoming insular & isolated now I'm widowed. I think I am surprised at the effort maintaining a social network takes when you are a single. Sometimes it does all seem like too much effort & it is easier to just stick to your routine & familiar things. I also have to travel a lot more to see old friends, which means I have to do all the driving, whereas Dave always used to drive.
It can all be quite exhausting, but the pain, (very real in my case), is more than worth the gain. I have done more in the last 3 years than I ever did before. I also have the confidence building satisfaction that I have done it myself. When you are part of a couple you don't need to make the effort, because you have eachother. I have found that women in particular are very encouraging & supportive.
I'm really looking forward to this. I've never done it before, but I think it will be great fun - hopefully not too intellectual!
As we say over the pond, "you GO, girl!" More seriously, things like what you are doing will help keep the first part of your blog name at bay. And make your life a good bit more interesting in the process.
ReplyDeleteHhmm - I think you need a comment fix - I've tried to publish and it came back here. I'm going to try again. If you get two comments, my apologies - if you get none, of course, you'll never know. :-(
Good to hear from you Kathy - I did get it! Interested to know how you accessed my blog? Not altogether sure how it all works.
ReplyDeleteVal
x