Sisyphus and Readings

So the longer I get used to being at home, the more I'm convinced that I am the living example of Sisyphus. You know the guy. The king in Greek mythology condemned to roll a giant bolder up a hill. Just when he gets it almost to the top and view his amazing accomplishment it rolls back down to the bottom. And he has to go back down and roll it up again. And again. For all eternity.
I don't have a boulder. But I have a kitchen, and laundry, and bathroom. And carpet covered in crumbs. And a baby with a poopy diaper. And seriously, just when I think I'm almost to the top of the laundry pile, it all comes tumbling down. It's fine most of the time. I keep upbeat and roll my bolder right back up, but sometimes, I just want to sit on top of it and read a book.


This winter my public library has been doing this book reading challenge where there are three different book genres a week and you see how many you can read in that week. It's saved me this winter. It's been really good for me. I've never actually checked a book out of the mystery section, and now I have. Same with the westerns. But I couldn't actually bring myself to read that one. Its pages were stained with fumes of the most odorous cologne I've ever smelled. That must have been one smelly cowboy. That one just went straight back to the library after spending a night on my porch.

But I have read a lot of things that I probably normally wouldn't have. Like a biography about Audrey Hepburn. Did you know she dedicated the last 20 years of her life to work with UNICEF? She traveled all over the world raising money and spending time with impoverished children. Reading about her work and these children really made me think. What if Lissie had been born in a country like that? What if she were the one starving in Africa while I spent more money on food than she would ever see in her life. It broke my heart and made me resolve to help make change. And so I am going to. In very small, seemingly insignificant ways, but it's something. And it's more than nothing. So that is that.

I also read my first graphic novel. It was called The Arrival by Shaun Tan. It was an enlightening analogy about immigration and people wanting to make a better life for themselves. I've always supported those who want that. I feel that we, as a country, make it far too hard for people to do. Both as an unwelcoming society and through bureaucratic red tape and expenses that these people can't afford. The book only takes like 10 minutes to go through, so if you have time, see if your library has it.

Right now I'm reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Despite it's rather tepid beginning, I'm really enjoying it. So even though I have my Sisyphus like slumps, life is interesting and complex. It's just a matter of wading through the diapers to find it.