Thursday, April 21, 2011

R=Reading (and other powerful distractions)

Distraction is powerful pain medicine for me. Anything that can wrench my mind from my self - that's good medicine. And, I have found that distraction can be found in many places.

If I am up to going out, then almost anything can distract me. Especially a fun meal with friends and family, where there's laughter and silliness and just enough sympathy to remind me that they all love me (without creating a time "all about me" - yuck - I have enough of those by myself). I love being outside, especially this spring. I really do feel like I'm coming back to life. Even just being out on my deck, soaking in the sun, makes me feel better. (Walking around the neighborhood is still too "high impact" for me, but I look forward to the day when I'll be able to do that again.)

When I can't go out, I have found distractions here at home. I have always been a voracious reader, but now I find that reading helps take my mind off of my self and into some amazing fantasy lands. My husband and I have both become kindle users (and fans). I found that there were times when even holding a book in both hands was tiresome (especially the nice fat books I enjoy). Kindle has made reading easier, and therefore more often done, than ever before. I thought I'd miss the feel and smell of the paper; I don't!

I've talked before about rediscovering the joys of TV. Also, I've become a bird-watcher. I know that it's an "old people" thing, but they're really wonderful! The birds have learned that when I'm out on the deck, it's lunch-time! And, they're not too afraid of me (as long as I keep still). Really fun.

So... what distracts you? What kinds of things are you reading now? I'm really enjoying some excellent fantasy series: Tolkien's The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings; Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.

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