As a young woman I loved reading Anais Nin. So when I came across this quote I had to share it…
“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.”
― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934
This quote reminds me of my love of reading, and how books were my way to another world, before I had ever traveled as a young one. I loved going to the library, it was my ticket to the universe.
I always knew there was so much out there to experience. My path had a lot of detours and bumps along the way- never taking the direct route-always making time to get lost- and shying away from those that were on that predictable journey.
It is so easy to fall into a routine, and each day you follow your schedule, do what you do, day in and day out…numb to the world around you.
Live each day with a little abandonment- never stop discovering- it is okay to step out of your comfort zone-
Speaking of comfort zone…check out this young filmmaker Solomon Onita, I saw his short JOY at the Pan African festival and it is streaming on HBO-powerful story check it out.
Happy Thursday-
Xoxo,
Gigi
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