Monday: the start of the week and a hectic rush towards the weekend. It’s also the time when we like to plan a bit of time for ourselves in the middle of a busy few days with our regular Me Time Monday feature.
I’m Molly and I write and edit the Mums and Me blog. Like every mum I know, time is precious. I don’t have much of it and what I do have seems to be spent frantically putting a load of washing on or running a duster over neglected surfaces. So called “me time” is rare. Very rare. But that’s beginning to change as I take on the Me Time Monday challenge and try to carve a tiny bit of time for myself out of my never-ending schedule.
This week I followed Dorky Mum’s advice and took myself to bed early one evening with a book. I switched off my computer, ignored Twitter and Facebook, instead snuggling down with a Rose Tremain classic. I love reading and it’s an activity that – right up until this time last year – I did every day without fail.
My degree in English Literature meant I had to read five or six books every couple of weeks for three years, which is probably how I eventually ended up finding myself in my current state as a writer, journalist and lover of words. Things changed last year when I started taking on more work projects. Instead of looking forward to an hour in bed at the end of the day with a good book, I’d collapse into bed exhausted and be too tired to turn out the light, let alone pick up a book.
It’s a shame, because I really do love reading. Books feed your soul, give you a new slant on the world and make you enter places in your mind you never knew existed. I’m thankful that my gorgeous toddler has a huge appetite for books and we read three or four stories every night before bed. But as much as I love Peace at Last and The Gruffalo, they’re no replacement for my own novels.
So that was my “me time” last week. And I fully intend to replicate it again this week.
How about you? Link up and tell me how you’ll be spending a bit of time to yourself this week. Remember, anything goes – as long as it’s something you’ve done for you and no one else. The linky will be open for a week before the next Me Time Monday comes around. Don’t forget to grab the badge on the sidebar and tell the world we’re here. You never know, it might lead to a few more “me time” devotees.
Happy Me Time Monday. Now, I’m off to read a book.
©2012
Oh I really miss reading too. I still try to fit in a few chapters at night, but don’t always manage it. I miss spending a whole afternoon just reading and getting absorbed in another world.
There’s nothing quite like losing yourself in a good book is there Rebecca? Absolutely love it! Molly x