How do you measure a year?

Please excuse me for a moment before I write this as I breakout into song.  For your reading enjoyment, I would imagine the cast of Rent singing this, rather than me.  I will not be on America’s Got Talent anytime soon.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life

As 2019 ends and 2020 begins, I thought about the goals I set in the last year for my 40 before 40 challenge and the one that I am most proud of, was my reading challenge.  Everyone is guilty at times of putting themselves last.  We wait until the end of the day to relax.  We feed others before we feed ourselves.  (Talking to all the moms out there.) 

For the work-a-holics, we spend any free time we have catching up on emails.  Rarely do we give ourselves permission to disconnect and get lost in a book.  And in my case, it wasn’t just about permission to get lost in a book, but one for pleasure, instead of one that is going to teach me how to be a better manager or a better mom or a better Christian. 

Luckily, I didn’t have to go at it alone.  My online community of friends reached out and said they were interested in reading too.  I created a book club (Reading between the Wines.)  We held very inconsistent review sessions and I posted my first ever Facebook Live Sessions.  We did one in person book club event where we got to hear directly from the Author.  We got out of our comfort zones together and read works of literature that we wouldn’t normally pick up.  We committed to reading once a month. 

I am happy to say that I exceeded my goal!  In addition to reading, I also did several audio books to keep me motivated when I was on long drives but wanted to keep the idea or reading top of mind.  Instead of zoning out to the TV at night, I was curling up with a book.  I met some great characters, and some that I didn’t love.  I got to hear directly from a new favorite author and developed a connection with some friends that I didn’t have previously. 

In GoodReads fashion, here is my list of books that got checked off the list along with my personal reviews of them. 

1.       This is how it always is  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2.       Half of a Yellow Sun  ⭐⭐⭐

3.       Becoming (Audiobook)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.       The Spring girls  ⭐⭐⭐

5.       Then she was gone  ⭐⭐⭐

6.       Heart Talk (Bonus Book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

7.       All the light we cannot see ⭐⭐⭐⭐

8.       Yes Please (Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

9.       The kind worth killing  ⭐⭐⭐

10.    Where the crawdads sing  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

11.    Eleanor Oliphant is completelyfine ⭐⭐⭐⭐

12.    Girl, Stop Apologizing(Audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐

13.    Educated  ⭐⭐⭐

14.    Three Women (Bonus Book) ⭐⭐⭐

15.    The Whisper Man  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

16.    Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead(Audiobook)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

17.    Little Fires Everywhere  ⭐⭐⭐

18.    Seriously… I’m Kidding(Audiobook)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

19.    The Christmas Sisters ⭐⭐⭐

Many of these books were ones I typically would never pick up.  Some of them were surprisingly delightful.  Others were probably better suited for a different reader.  Don’t let my rating sway you from not reading one of the titles on the list.  If you haven’t read any of the books listed above or are interested in your own reading challenge, I highly recommend “This is how it always is”, “Where the crawdads sing”, and “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine”.  All very different genres and beautifully written characters.  While my choice of genre hasn’t changed and I will continue to be drawn to suspenseful titles, it was a great exercise for my brain and expanded my horizon.  I feel like I can successfully cross this item off my 40 before 40 challenge. 

So back to singing…

Six thousand two hundred sixty-five pages

Six thousand two hundred sixty-five sheets so dear

Six thousand two hundred sixty-five pages

How do you measure, measure a year?

In stories, in sonnets?

In vino, in cups of coffee
In words, in chapters
In laughter, in tears

In Six thousand two hundred sixty-five pages

How do you measure a year reading between the wines?

I know what you are thinking… stick to writing blogs and not lyrics.  But you can’t say you didn’t hear the musical tone as you read it.