Taking Back {Reading}

Recently, a friend asked me what I write about. He said that he wanted to write but did not know where to start. I shared a bit of my process with him. I explained that for a year or so I have been forcing myself to write. I know that I want to remember these times, events, thoughts, and emotions; I make myself to jot notes for Future Me. This past week, I have enjoyed writing again. Each night, after the routine of bath.nurse.bed., I poured a glass of wine or a cup of tea and read. And here is what I re-learned:

Reading is a rhythm of my life that has been absent. Reading is an essential part to my creative process. Reading  inspires me to write.

After two nights of reading, I began to write. And I loved it. I felt like myself again. As I explained this to my friend, he remarked, 

 Sometimes I feel like certain things we do or think about go away and we're okay with that. And then when they come back or we take them back, you gain a sense of how lost you really were without them without really knowing you were lost at all.

I am still a long way off from writing for the sake of writing alone. But this week, I have taken back reading and this accomplishment feels enormous. I look forward to taking back other things that have been lost to me, including journaling, blogging, and photo journaling our lives.

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What are the things in your life you want to "take back"? Let's challenge each other to create time and space for these things.