Goal-setting – a skill I learned well in my twenties – usually stands me in good stead when I want to get things done. Finish a doctoral degree, declutter a house, learn a new crochet stitch? Set a goal. Job done! Although 2020 brought many problems as COVID-19 spread around the world, I …
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The performing arts in all their variety, beauty and wonder have nourished my mind and fed my soul. If you throw reading (fiction, non fiction, poetry, history etc.) into the mix, I’m indeed blessed. During my childhood, I longed to perform. But performance, a lisp and my inherent shyness sat uncomfortably together. It quickly became …
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Fake it till you make it sounds like an instruction to trick or deceive. But it actually provides useful direction for people who find themselves in a new or difficult position and unsure about how to proceed. The phrase suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities …
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Post-isolation emotions render me vulnerable and anxious, mixed with relief. There’s joy. My family and I can visit and talk to face to face. There’s a downside, as well. Ten weeks of restricted activity changed my view of the world. My fitness suffered although I walked every day. But unless I swim regularly, my arthritic …
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Jigsaw puzzles develop skills, improve stress levels and encourage social interaction. They provide hours of entertainment and fun for adults as well as for children. Research shows that assembling a jigsaw puzzle is good for brains of all ages. The photo shows my grandchildren, Alexander and Louise and a friend, Kirstin who called in for …
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Non-fiction books, unlike fiction, are based on facts. Non-fiction includes memoirs, biographies, essays, documentaries, self-help and textbooks. Non-fiction covers a wide range of information and material. Whatever your interest, there’s sure to be a book about it.
Like all reading fiction entertains, relaxes and stimulates us. But fiction does more: it educates and is good for us.
Human brains crave novelty, and fiction provides novelty in abundance.
My learning journey – a new adventure, how to write a novel – continues. I write regularly but, as I explained in a previous post, which you can read if you click here, writing fiction doesn’t yet feature among my skills. I hope that will soon change.
Reading, and especially reading every day, provides us with numerous benefits, from simple entertainment to creating new synapses in our brains and helping with communication.
