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I once had a friend tell me that I am a “book snacker” and he is right. I used to sit down and read a book entirely and then the internet came along and I got all my information in bite size chunks while also checking twits and status updates and all those other numerous attention grabbers. I would like to say this has been positive, and in some ways in may be, but I have missed the ability to lose myself in another world and let everything else go. I have currently started reading no less than 5 books and I have a stack of others that wink at me suggestively to pick them up and see what wonderful information they are hiding between their covers. One of my goals for 2010 is to start reading more books from cover to cover and to really digest them and less skimming of many books at once.

One of the books I have started this year and have really loved so far, although I have not finished it, is Pema Chodron’s Taking the Leap.

I have read over half of this little book (it is only a little over 100 pages) and already it has been wonderful in helping me to be more aware of my habits and fears that ultimately cause me to limit what I think I am capable of. Fear has always been a paralyzing thing for me. I can talk myself in giving up before I even try if I think there is a chance that I will fail what I’m setting out to do. I often run from negative feelings, like sadness and anger, and this book made me realize that those things are no worse or better than more positive feelings. They are simply energies that I need to examine and ride out rather than react in my usual unproductive, negative way. I’m looking forward to diving back into this book.

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