This week there has been a slow tip on a personal level towards things getting back to whatever ‘normal’ might be now. I’ve returned to work, albeit not on a full time basis, which has allowed me to get a sense of how I can finally plan this quarter and the summer season successfully. Not knowing when/if I would be going back led to a lot of procrastination and uncertainty. True, if things stay on track it will change again in October, but I’m happy with that marker as I’ve since realised it lines up nicely with planning out the final quarter of the year.

Side note: I can’t even begin to imagine how my yearly review is going to look at the end of December!

The other thing was that for the first time since the beginning of March, I had an email to say that I had a reservation to collect from the library. It seems like a whole lifetime ago when I placed the order (The Body by Bill Bryson, if you’re interested). As someone who still isn’t really embracing the ‘freedoms’ of post-lockdown, the thought of actually going into a library feels funny, but what doesn’t these days?

I have not read as much as many people during lockdown, but I have managed to stay on track with my two books a month goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year. When scrolling leads to nothing but anxiety and uncertainty, a good book is a solid reminder that this is but a snapshot in human history and suffering.

But more than that, I have always argued that the public library is one of the greatest democratising forces we have. Even if you don’t meet the requirements for borrowing in a specific library, you can go in there for free, sit in the warm, dry chairs and absorb whatever you feel like reading. It is easy to forget that in our current internet age and it is true that there is an entire generation who have not been taught to appreciate the library system. Under threat before, I wonder how many will fail to survive once this pandemic is over?

It’s also no surprise that despite their value, they opened after pubs and were prioritised less, which tells us something damning about our society I think.

I guess I am contemplating this more because it intersects with the current book I am reading, Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport. I’m in a phase of seeking a more intentional life, one akin to the pre-child years, although I realise that will never entirely be the case again. Reading hard books and being able to lay my hands on them without having to worry about the financial outlay right now is a part of that. Academic texts are not exactly known for having a low price tag.

In fun stuff, I have identical format Moleskine and Leuchtturm pocket notebooks turning up next week. It’s been a while since I’ve tried the Moleskine one and now seems like a good time to do a direct comparison. I’ll be using them as my idea books (different to my daily carry list and notes book, which is usually a Field Notes, or my writing ideas and long form notebooks, which I prefer to be A5). Hopefully there will be enough differences that I’ll be able to write something about them here that could be helpful to people wondering which one is best for them.

Here’s to a happy and productive week!