Widely said that we need to reflect on history before making our steps into a better future. Unfortunately, reflecting on what happened during last year has already made me want to hide my face, let alone making a new year resolution. Comparing what I’ve planned to what has come true gave me heartburn. I just can’t take it easy. Especially when I look at around. Jeez, people have walked their ten steps while here I am walking like a sloth. I love sloth anyway. It’s my favorite animal after owl.
I always find someone who asks, “what’s keeping you busy these days?” And I feel like I want to answer: I’m busy saving the world! What’s interesting about being a mom with a daughter who clings to her every day? Her job is taking to and picking up her daughter. It is not less cool than Wonder Woman, isn’t it? We both save the world, in my case I’m nurturing the next generation. Yeah!
It’s hard for me to finish reading books on my home bookshelves, much less creating an accomplished bucket list. Too random. I don’t want to dream about creating my long list of books that I’ve read in 2017. Some were accomplished, many were not. Ha-ha-ha. But anyway, how to write without reading books, huh?
I want to become a little snob to say that the last book I gratefully managed to finish is Corruption by Tahar Ben Jelloun. It started when I can’t sleep at night as my hormone was raging out of control. Yes, it is, maintaining hormones is not as easy as controlling blood sugar level. I then picked a book which is not very thick in the midst my anxious feeling. “Jeez, what I gotta do when I can’t sleep but I should wake up early next day so the little doggy won’t get fussy asking for breakfast. Fiuhh, I must clean this house tomorrow, the floor gets so dirty after not being swept for a week.” Such a brainpower! In short, all those tasks finally got done and I’m so grateful that my husband was so empathetic towards me by taking his time with our daughter outside the house for a while. So I can stay at home alone. I only go out when I need to refill the water gallon and for laundry service.
As I have observed, we can hardly finish books due to some reasons below:
1. Distraction
If not the daily duties, what else could be such a kind of the distraction? Like consistently performing five times sholat per day for example. Well, I’m lying for this. Of course, the distraction comes when I hear the shouts “Bu, let’s play around! Bu, come with me watching tv, please. Bu, please take this and that and this and that. Buuuu, buu, ba, bu, ba, bu…”
Or, if not, it must be the digital distraction. When we get so tired, we easily go in for gadgets, social media, online newspapers.
2. Preface
It turns out reading preface pages can prevent us from finishing the book itself. Movie spoiler doesn’t disturb me, but the preface really does. It’s like all stories have been summarized, and by knowing the background of the writing can ruin the pleasure of reading books. Instead of reading the book, we only read the preface then we think we have understood the whole content. Oink.
3. Author’s Profile
As the author’s bio is placed on the last page of the book, it should be read later. That’s my fault to take a look first on the last page. Bye.
4. Thinking of Installment
As the household treasurer, I put cash flow management on a higher priority than following Romeo and Juliet’s romance story. I must do it unless if I don’t want let my daughter only eat rice wrapped in nori, or rice sprinkled with anchovies even though it’s basically my tactic to get enough nutrition intake for my daughter who likes to eat rice with salt only. Yup, her dad has taught her for eating rice with salt, only because he was too lazy to turn on the gas stove 😐
5. Movie Streaming
I don’t watch Korean dramas. So far, not yet. And please don’t or I would get addicted. Ha-ha.
I can’t go to theater too often. Movie streaming is a way out. This way updating films to watch can be more economical. Going to theater means that you must prepare for the additional budget for snacks, allocate your time, and search for a parking lot. You know this mom is busy yeah and doesn’t have much time!
In the end, you won’t get the moral message after reading this article. Anyway, thank you for allowing me to confide in you with my story.
