Day 21

Last night, I ended up reading five pages. I finished on a section that gave me closure. I had to stop there, before another wave of streamlined information designed to keep me reading swept me away again.

Today was the last day before the deadline I’ve been postponing my plans for finally arrives. Which is great, because once I’m past it, all of the plans I’ve made become reality. The 22nd of June has been a wall in my life, really. Not a particularly large wall. More like a waist-high barrier standing between two versions of my year. On one side sat dread. On the other sat excitement. One that divided nonetheless.

In between the minor tasks I tackled to avoid eating the frog, I read.

I wonder if anyone else knows the frog theory. My form tutor taught it during a PSHCE class as a way to combat procrastination. I couldn’t remember who came up with it, but a quick search reminded me that it’s often attributed to Mark Twain:

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

Get it out of the way.

But I’ve always disliked the idea of doing things simply to get rid of them. They linger, I tell myself. The things you create, the things you do, they represent you. Once you’re done with them, they remain.

Out of sight, out of mind has never worked for me anyway.

Then another fifteen pages disappeared during halftime as Spain dismantled Saudi Arabia. Four nil.

An act, really.

I’ve cleared my schedule for tomorrow and should have two uninterrupted hours to read. Thank you for following along with this long, but thankfully consistent, series.

I have nine days left to fit in at least two more books, which would bring me to four books read this month. At this point, I don’t really care about the number. What excites me is continuing a reading list that has consistently delivered incredible books.

July’s lineup looks even better, or at least better suited to summer.

For example, I’d love to read Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library while sitting on a ten-hour train ride through the Swiss Alps, watching the bronze hue of a July sunset settle over the mountains as coffee cools on the table beside me. To lose myself in Haig’s particular kind of magic while sunlight filters through the stained glass of a carriage window.

But I don’t like disrupting my reading order.

Then again, tomorrow I’ll finally be on the other side of the wall.

Started Today On: Page 230

Ended On: Page 245

Pages Read Today: 15