Don't judge a book...

When I was a child I was quite into my reading, every night before bed without fail I would read my books, sometimes even falling asleep among the pages, but I grew out of this for a few years and due to my mental health problems it had a dramatic effect on my concentration. I found it very hard to focus on words, I believed I was missing out lines and I was reading pages over and over again and in all honesty, it tired me out.

Last year, during my down months, my other half (we will find a creative nickname for him at some point), encouraged me to have baths to start relaxing myself...but again, I had no patience, I was only ever in there for 5 minutes before getting bored and fidgety. I decided to start reading at bath time, to get myself lost in a book again, help me focus on something and distract me from my thoughts and fidgeting.

IT WORKED! It has kept me so relaxed. I have bought more books in the last 6 months than I think I have ever done and my attention span is growing a little better each day. I spent so long thinking I COULD NOT focus on the words in a book, that I didn't even try.

This is societies attitude to so much these days...."Why bother?", but there is always the same answer to that question...because it COULD change a lot for the better. It might not always, but it MIGHT, isn't that always worth trying for, at least? I don't want to be a pessimist all my life, I've only been made that way through my mental health so I have to try to be optimistic, even if I don't always feel that way.

My final message in this blog post, the book I am currently reading, a fictional thriller, bought my attention to a word I had never heard before.

"Palimpsest" - noun. Something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of it's earlier form.

Despite this usually being used for a place/country or a piece of architecture it made me think...that's what we all are isn't it? We have all been altered in some way throughout our lives...but even if our journeys have been hard, rough and difficult and have changed us beyond recognition to some people, the ones who truly know us, especially us ourselves will always see that same fire inside us. That fire will not go out. Show those visible traces and be proud of you.

Kim xx

P.S. The book I am reading is "The Girl Before" by JP Delaney. I am only halfway through so for any other bookworms out there who are interested in this, I will give you my review at a later date. However, So far....so good!