As some of you know, I’ve had a bit of a rocky year so far – both in terms of events going on in my life, and my reading progress (in the sense that there hasn’t been all that much). But I do have some solid reasons why this time, and here they are:
- Renovating a house. TLDR – don’t. It’s been a nightmare of discovering things that need to be fixed, weren’t done right in the first place or that weren’t caught during the inspection. It hasn’t been a fun time, and is costing waaaaaay more than anticipated.
- New medication. I’m on one that is supposed to be a stimulant but makes me inexplicably sleepy, even when taken at night. Getting up in the morning has gone from unpleasant to nearly impossible.
- Pollen. That stuff HATES me. No idea what I did to it, but based on the karmic roundhouse kick it’s delivering, it must have been horrific and I’m very, very sorry.
- Parenting. As any of you with kids will know, it’s the absolute most wonderful experience ever, but damn is it also hard work!
- Worrying. You know, as I do. I’ve got anxiety and possibly some in-the-process-of-being-diagnosed neurodivergence. So I do this a LOT.
- Medical events in my family. A member of my family had a pretty serious and scary medical procedure recently, and that took up a lot of mental energy and time for follow-up appointments. All is well, it seems to have been successful and healing has been great. But it was definitely a thing.
- Medical issues in me. My body seems to be deteriorating at an alarming rate. I’ve got two chronic medical issues, both of which have led to other issues (one has caused some complications and the other requires medication with difficult side effects) and both of which are not fun to manage. I’m now on so many medications that I can’t keep track of how many there are, figuring out if I can take any other over-the-counter medication requires a fifteen minute conversation with my pharmacist to cross-check all the interactions, and I’m about ready to check into an assisted living facility for no other reason than it would be so fucking nice if someone else figured out all this medication stuff for me, because it’s doing my head in. Sometimes literally.
- Trouble figuring out what to read next. I mean with everything going on, I feel like this is fair enough.
- Book Depository closing and subsequent soul-shattering depression. WHY???????????
- You know, stuff. All the other random life things – errands, phone calls, a thousand doctor’s appointments, decisions that have to be made, chores that need to be done, meals that have to be prepared, and now packing. There’s always something. Usually a bunch of somethings.
So that’s me. No excuses, just some good, solid reasons. As I assume everyone has. I have managed to start reading a bit more in the past couple of months thanks to some easier reads and entertaining narrators, so I’m hoping I’m back on track now. But I’m moving very soon, so I expect to go off the rails again, but hopefully temporarily. We’ll see. Moving is a beast.
What about you guys? Anyone have similar issues in their lives that have been making reading hard? Anyone have trouble coming up with this week’s list (and if so, CONGRATULATIONS that’s so awesome)?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.
I’m also sad about Book Depository. How am I supposed to get books that aren’t published in this country?!
I know, right? I’m still using bookfinder.com, and can find some of them, but it’s a huge loss.
I can definitely sympathize with you on the moving, we moved last summer and though we’d had all the various renovations done on the house already (we were moving back into our house after almost two decades of my parents letting it out to tenants and they hadn’t had a chance to have any work done in pretty much all that time so that took a long while, plus our move was delayed several times due to covid!), it took forever to get everything sorted in the house once we’d moved in. I also really feel you on the pollen, I’m also allergic and though it hasn’t been too bad so far this year, we’re still fairly early in the season, so I’m just really hoping it doesn’t get any worse.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/top-ten-tuesday-420/
Oh man, that sounds super stressful! I hope everything ended up how you wanted it and that you’re now nicely and happily settled in! Yeah, the pollen is a nightmare. I didn’t used to be allergic, so I’m still adjusting to the new normal – and I’m not a fan!!
This time last year, I was in the middle of a big home renovation. Luckily, we didn’t live in the home for the first four months. The last four months, though? Not fun! It was worth it in the end, but it was awful while it was going on. Good luck with yours!
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Yeah, it’s taking three times as long and costing twice as much for half the stuff as we anticipated. And unfortunately I can’t move in until it’s all done and cleaned up because I have respiratory issues, so I can’t handle all the dust and paint fumes and stuff. Super frustrating! Thank you, and I’m hoping we’re coming to the end (as long as nothing else goes wrong, that is….) Happy TTT on a Wednesday to you as well!
Trouble figuring out what to read next is one of my biggest stops for reading. It is on my list as well but I called it indifference. I have so many I plan to read or want to read or on my TBR but picking what is next is hard.
YES. A thousand times yes. I’m in the process of diagnosis for neurodivergence, which I think also makes choosing a book and committing to what I’ve chosen really hard. I tend to start a few, then if I get drawn into one I abandon the others and just focus on that one. Then rinse and repeat when I’m done, sometimes going back to others I started, sometimes starting whole new ones. It’s kind of exhausting!
I hope you and your family member are both doing okay. My late husband had a myriad of health issues, so I can sort of relate.
And yes, renovating your house is nothing short of chaos. I’m glad mine’s DONE.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your well wishes. Yes, their procedure was a success from what we can tell, and the issue it was for seems to have been fixed, at least for now. So it’s good news all around and a huge relief. I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. I have a ton of chronic medical issues myself, and it’s so much to manage. I’m so sorry you both had to go through that, and thank you for sharing. That must have been really hard on you.
Renos definitely aren’t fun – I’m so glad yours is finished and I hope you are enjoying it!
Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words!
Pollen is killing me right now! It’s so bad this year. I get why it’s keeping you away from reading.
Isn’t it? I’m at that point where every time I go outside I need a nap. It’s so frustrating! And the stronger meds made me gain weight, so it’s weighing negatives. But it could be way worse. I’m still managing to find time to do things I enjoy, and I’m now turning a corner with my reading as well and starting to get back into it. So while I could definitely complain, I could also be grateful for the positives I’m experiencing in life, so I think I’ll try to do that! Thanks for stopping by!
Some of those are tough reasons! I’m sorry the meds and pollen and worry get you down. Sometimes when I’m worrying over something, it helps to lose myself in a good book. Sometimes, though, I just can’t concentrate long enough to get into one.
Thank you. I’m working on accepting limitations – internal and external – and have patience. That is completely what happens for me as well. The past few months has been a can’t concentrate period, but lately I’ve started choosing books I can lose myself in, and have been doing a lot more reading but it’s in a helpful, relaxed way. Which is the very best kind! It ebbs and flows! I hope you are enjoying whatever you’re reading at the moment!
I am so sorry about your medical challenges and those of your family. I hope life settles soon and you can enjoy more reading and just some normalcy and fun in life.
Thank you so much. I’m coming to realize that a lot of this is just how life is now, but trying to roll with it better. Luckily my family member is doing really well and it looks like a successful procedure and full recovery. So that’s the most important thing and is an amazing relief. Thank you so much for your well wishes – that means so much!
I think we should all read to add to our life and it should just augment everything else we are doing. Enjoy life. Enjoy reading!!!!!! What keeps me from reading…life!
I completely agree! I used to feel bad about my down time each year, and every time I’d try to fight it. But now I’ve learned that I’ll have fallow periods, usually for a couple of months in the winter, and it never lasts forever. But if I try to force it it never actually helps. Just means I still don’t read, but I feel really bad about it! So now I try to read enough extra that I’ve got a couple months’ of reviews in the queue, and if I then don’t read for a while it’s not a huge deal. I’ve learned to trust my process a bit more. I’m also just beginning to look into whether I’m neurodivergent, and I’m starting to see areas in my life where that could play a part. This is most likely one of them. So it is what it is!