fountain

I hope I find you well in the new year and that you have had plenty of rest and plenty of time to recharge your batteries for the new year.

The beginning of the year always gives us a little respite so that we can detach from everything that has been stressful, reflect on the year that has passed and plan what we want to achieve in the new year ahead.

This period between the winter holidays is more special, not only because of the gifts we receive or give, but also because it brings us closer to family. We have time to share our dreams and desires, we have time to enjoy a coffee in the city with the person we love and to walk during the day, without being in a hurry. We have time to slow down the fast pace, to slow down our breathing, we have time to be, to exist.

Reading between holidays

In addition to the company of loved ones, I also had a more atypical reading: The book of solace, by Matt Haig. And when I say atypical, I mean that this is a collection of notes and thoughts that the author has put together in this book, which are sometimes just a paragraph, and sometimes whole pages in which the author discusses a topic about human nature.

Constantly searching for the meaning of life is like searching for the meaning of toast. Sometimes it's better to just eat the toast.

The book of solace, Matt Haig.

Among these pages we find advice, contemplations and even mantras, designed to help us in more difficult times. It's not a book that bombards you like a lot of information, but rather a book through which the author tries to be your best friend, who is next to you at night and tells you that everything will be fine, that it's normal to feel certain feelings and that it's ok to not be ok sometimes. (It's ok not to be ok!)

Let them flow. All unspoken thoughts. All repressed emotions. All hardships not assumed. All guilty secrets. All the painful memories. All the hidden corners. All the inconvenient truths. All unhealed wounds. All disturbing ideas. All latent and repressed desires. All the water collected behind the dike. Don't wait for the pressure to build. Don't wait for it to explode. Let them flow. Let them flow. Let them flow.

The book of solace, Matt Haig.

Before this leave I ended up being a little overwhelmed by everything that was happening around me, I had a period when I wasn't sleeping very well (I was stressed because of work, because of the uncertainty in which we live in this pandemic context), but I I'm glad that I actually managed to detach myself during this vacation, I slept a lot, recharged my batteries, got out of the house and came across this book, which even though I wasn't sure I'd like it at first, it had an effect extremely soothing on me and my subconscious.

Somehow this also happened because I was reading these bits right before bed, and I found that apparently if you manage to have calming thoughts before you fall asleep, you get a much more restful sleep, so I will continue to keep this book on bedside table

If you are interested in more books written by Matt Haig, I can highly recommend:

Have a year as beautiful as possible,

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