Reading a Book You’ve Already Read

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Have you ever read a book that you’ve already read but had forgotten you read it? It’s a strange experience in which it feels like the book is vaguely familiar, yet, you can’t put your finger on why. It’s not only until you reach a certain point in the story that you figure out why it’s familiar, and then you wonder why you didn’t remember you had read it in the first place.

Perhaps you had forgotten about the story, or you hadn’t thought deeply about it after you had first finished it. Either way, the second time reading it can be an enjoyable experience, one that brings new insight into the story. It’s as if you’re experiencing it from a new mindset given all that has changed since the last time you read it.

It can be like rereading a book from high school and discovering things about it that you weren’t aware of before. Back then, reading the book was more for the grade–to know what will be on the test. But reading it now, it has more to do with curiosity (why else would you be reading it?) than for extrinsic reasons. Rereading a book can bring back old memories and create new ones at the same time.

Biding Time

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When we wait for an opportunity to come our way, we lose time for the opportunity we have now. When we bide our time, we think that another opportunity–a better one–will be waiting for us. But what about now? What about all the time we are not using while we wait?

Sometimes it is wise to wait when the conditions are not favorable, such as with making an expensive purchase–waiting for the sale (if it is a seasonal item). It might be good to wait if we are not ready, such as if we’re saving up money, or when we don’t see any good opportunities.

But as we wait, we must work on something–look for opportunities. Each day brings them, and if we’re not paying attention, they will go by and never return.

Other Path

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When taking a walk, we can come to a fork in the road that takes us elsewhere. That “elsewhere” can lead us to a different part of the city, forest–wherever we happen to be. If we continue on the original path, we’ll reach our destination without much difficulty or thought. But if we go “elsewhere”, we’ll be taking a leap into the unknown, navigating streets or roads that bring new experiences–keeping us on our toes.

We learn from it by expanding our knowledge of the terrain and the other roads it leads to. This can happen in a city when we take a turn down a new road, or when we travel. On a hiking trail, the other path can lead to a stream, or a scenic viewpoint that shows us the landscape from an angle we didn’t know existed.

We take the other path when the original path has become too familiar, boring. We take it because we need variation and to gain knowledge. Some people might feel comfortable without needing to know what is beyond the hill, but at some point, curiosity will overtake them.

From Within and Without

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When we try to make change, there are two ways of doing so. One way is to change from within, and the other is from without. When we make change from within, we change the way we do things, the way we look at things: our attitude, beliefs, habits, etc. In other words, we change our mindset.

When we change things from without, we change the environment. That can start with our home, such as the decor, how we organize it, or the community, such as participating in public discourse, or the world we live in, such as when we donate our time or resources to volunteer with charities.

But which is better? Or do we need both?

If we change the world from without without changing ourselves, then we are not focused on our life. Maybe there are some habits we need to change–patterns that are keeping us from succeeding. And if we change ourselves from within without changing the environment, it’s as if we’ve withdrawn from the world–living in our own sanctuary. We might be at peace, but we have no influence in the world.

We can focus on one or the other, or combine both, letting them be a reflection of the values and beliefs we hold. When we do this, we not only improve our life, but become an example of the improvement we would like to see.

Reading Slow or Fast

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I read slow when I’m reading fiction, mainly because I don’t want to miss any details, and because I want to learn about the characters and understand what’s happening. Usually if I’m reading a novel fast, I’ll have to double back and reread previous passages just to know what’s going on.

I read fast mostly when I’m reading non-fiction. I’m essentially skim through it, honing in on the information I want to learn, the key points and facts. This goes for news articles, textbooks, brochures, etc.

But whether it’s non-fiction or fiction, the writing really dictates if I’m reading slow or fast. If the author’s style is eloquent, clear, and even humorous, I want to appreciate it, and thus, I’m willing to take my time reading it. But if I find myself bored with a story or an article, I will skim it for the sake of finding the next exciting part.

Setback

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A setback can hinder us from completing our work, or put a ding in our budget. It can come in the form of house maintenance, car repair, illness, or an unexpected emergency.

Setbacks usually delay us for just awhile. The hard thing is to pick up where we left off after the setback is over. More often than not, a project (such as a book) relies on momentum–a steady stream of progress. But when there is a setback, it can delay the project for days, weeks, months, even years.

A setback is an inconvenience, for sure, but there is a silver lining to it. It can make us look at the larger problem–one that we’ve ignored. It can make us reevaluate what we’ve been doing, and to fix our mistakes. Lastly, it might be what we needed in some instances–if we were going down the wrong path.

Reading

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When we lose interest in a story, it’s hard to dive back into it. It becomes dreadful to pick up–to even think about. Reading the book becomes more like a chore than something we look forward to doing.

There can be many reasons why. The plot is moving too slow. It’s too wordy. Nothing is really happening in the story. The writing doesn’t hook us. Or the conflict is essentially nonexistent. At some point, we will lost interest if a book falls into either one of these categories. We won’t even think about it again.

Only when the story surprises us, or takes our imagination elsewhere, are we engaged in the book. It’s only then that we increase our focus, and spend late nights reading it. And when each chapter gives us a glimpse into something new and mysterious, we’ll work our way through it, even the slow parts, just to see what happens at the end.

Music

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Hearing a song can conjure emotions in a way that neither a book nor a painting can. The melodies, the lyrics, when they work harmoniously, can conjure memories and thoughts like a scene from a movie, or a dreamlike experience.

It can also help us to imagine, to intensify our vision of a story we want to tell. It can elevate our visual experience to something that is profound (i.e. soundtracks, film scores). It can heighten a moment’s grandiosity, making it almost larger than life (i.e. a graduation ceremony or a wedding). And it can unite people to common state of mind, a common feeling (i.e. music concerts). Music can be the centerpiece of an event, or it can be a supplement to it.

When we listen to it with headphones and with our eyes closed, we immerse ourselves in a sonic space–a universe of notes, sounds, lyrics, riffs, etc. Music has a power that is immediate, direct, like the touch of water. It has no limit to how it can affect us, yet, it speaks to each of us differently.

Posted in Art

Pick and Choose

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It’s hard to pick and choose sometimes. A meal on a menu. What to drink. A new or used car to buy. To go out and eat or not. Or to spend 4 years finishing a major that might not be as worthwhile as another.

To pick and choose comes with commitment, a certainty about a choice–to a degree. There’s an opportunity cost to any decision. Something gained, something lost.

And that’s we get in the end. We gain and lose. A path not taken, a path that is taken. Regrets and blessings. It’s part of the reality of choice. Nothing’s for certain, except we have to pick and choose.