A realization I’ve had, planning my week, that has some disconcerting implications. I may have to switch my morning reading into the evening.

My writing needs have grown beyond one or two days a week. If I’m to continue, it has to be a daily thing. The optimal time for me to do it is the morning; the afternoon and evening schedules can vary from week to week. But my mornings are taken already with reading.

I love my reading time. A short walk to the cafe, order my tea and pastry, play music through my headphones, and lose myself in the narrative. No matter how tired or comfortable I wake up, no matter how cold or dark the morning air, this ritual gets me out of bed. It’s the closest to lecto divinia this atheist has found. And I’m disinclined to let it go!

Evening reading is possible, except evening is my lax time. A movie can run a bit long, an hour with friends can run into three, unfinished chores can be finished. If my ADHD is getting in the way, lax time is a great buffer. Scheduling reading in the evening sounds like a great way to force myself to wind down the day, but the lax time has proven itself more enduring.

Maybe I can start by alternating days? Tomorrow I write, Tuesday I read, and to and fro? The consistency and invariance of the ritual is what helps me, though. I’m loathe to challenge it. It’s also why I don’t want to just decide on a day by day basis what I use that time for. The book is in the bag, grab and go, out the door!

I’m nervous, but I think I’m going to try writing tomorrow anyways. Maybe the physical act of writing will help me decide. 📝📚