It’s been a while since my last post. 2020 was a terrible and stressful year for many people. A time when our lives changed completely. It had an impact on everyone. We had to change the way we worked, lived and socialised. We had to spend most of our time at home, change how we spent out time while trying to make sense of what was happening.
2021 started with a promise that things were going to get better. I thought so too, but then I lost one of my best friends to Covid. So many people have lost family and friends, I know other people are experiencing loss and grief. Its comforting to know that its not just you, but it doesn’t make the pain and heartache any less.
I’ll always be grateful I knew my friend and she was part of my life. She was kind, generous, funny and made you feel like it was a sunny day. She was my friend and I feel very lucky I had her in my life for so long. I also miss her very much.
My friend was part of my book club, she set it up and I was one of the original members. We got to know each other through an interest in books and reading. And this is the point of this post. Reading is something you do alone, by yourself, closed off from other people and the world around you. But reading can also bring people together – giving you something to talk about, swapping books with a friend and waiting (anxiously if you REALLY liked the book) to find out what they thought.
Reading can help you explore difficult feelings like grief; reading about the experiences of a character can help you with your own thoughts and feelings, maybe find a way to put them into words and open up to someone else.
You can choose a light-hearted book to give yourself something else to think about, or an historic fiction or fantasy to transport you to another time or universe. Sometimes all you want to do is escape for an hour and reading is the key.
Books have always been my constant friend. I found friends and adventures when I was a kid and was being bullied at school. I explored new cultures and places, different times and brand new worlds. I’ve met some amazing people through a love of books and reading, and I’m lucky to call them my friends.
Keep reading.
Pixie Chronicles 