Mind Adventure

Today’s adventure is small but mighty. The biggest barrier I face to finding adventure in every day is my work schedule. I’m a night shift nurse and I usually work my 3 nights in a row so that I can have 3 or 4 days off at a time after. But that means I have very little time for myself on the 3 days I work back to back. Last night was my first night back since vacation, and I’ve got the next two nights ahead of me, so I need to conserve my energy.

Today’s adventure is one of reading. This morning after work (and after a much needed shower), I read another chapter in this book. I just started it a couple of days ago and I’m enthralled. Finding a new book, a good book, is one of my most favorite adventures. Reading is an adventure of the mind, enabling the reader to remove herself from real life and delve into the life and excitement of whichever character is lucky enough to welcome her for that moment. It’s like playing dress-up without the hassle. In fact, one of the characters in this book I’m reading is an old English professor who taught creative writing and says that books are nothing without their readers; what authors leave open to interpretation or to the imagination of the reader makes each reading experience unique to the reader herself. I love that.

I got this book and 2 others at the library down the road from my house. That was part of my adventure the other day. Finally going to get a library card like I’ve been saying I would for the past 6 months. It’s funny how easy it is to just go and do something rather than to sit around and talk about doing it for months on end. Going to the library is one of my favorite things (among about 10,000 others of my favorite things). Picking out a new book excites me, opens up my mind to the endless possibilities that are out there. It might just be the nerd in me, but libraries are much more adventure-filled than they get credit for. A person could live for eternity and still not read every book in the world.

So here’s to reading: life’s never ending mind adventure.