I have been very convicted in recent months about reading. I love to read. I read quickly, and have no excuses for not reading more. I spend countless hours online with various projects and at least one game, but fail to make time for one of my biggest loves. Sometime in December, I decided that one of my resolutions for 2013 would be to read more. One per month is totally doable, right? That's what I thought. My hope is to read far more than 12 books this year, but I'll be happy with that number. I set a goal for myself to read one book a month - any book, whether novel or biography, long or short. Just READ! Of course I read nightly with my son, but somehow it isn't the same. Not only do I miss the deeper plots, but I also miss the journey that comes along with a good story. I also want to make time to read during the day, in hopes of showing my son that sometimes it's ok to just sit down with a good book for awhile. Activities don't always have to be high energy. He has down times when he watches a show (though he's really not a fan of tv and movies, thankfully) and maybe during those times if he looks over and sees mama reading, it will make an impact on a deeper level.
At Christmas one of my closest friends bought me this book, Dolly Parton's Dream More. We are both long time Dolly fans, and he knew I'd love it. The book is short - short enough to read in one day if you have that kind of focus (I used to, I'm trying to get it back). In the book, Dolly talks about the commencement speech she gave at the University of Tennessee and the thoughts and feeling she had leading up to it. She talks about the dreams she has had in her life, and how she has moved past the naysayers in her life. I took inspiration from the book and can easily apply her thoughts and suggestions to both my personal life (distance yourself from the people who only drag you down) and my professional life (never give up on your dreams, and keep learning).
She talked about caring more and giving back. About being the best person you can be, and loving God and doing right, but keeping your sense of humor along the way. It spoke to me on many levels, and I'm grateful to have had the chance to read it as my first book for 2013. It helped me to get in the right mindset for a positive 2013 and gave me some inspiration for ways to grow and build my new direct sales business with Origami Owl. It probably spoke to me in ways she never could have even imagined, but isn't that the way writing goes? You never know which words will hit home or what story the reader will relate them to.
I recommend this book to any women who love Dolly, who are interested in knowing more of her story (she talks about the background for her Coat Of Many Colors song in detail, for instance, which is another source for inspiration and makes a fantastic message in the anti-bullying movement). I'd also recommend this for anyone starting out on a new venture, who is maybe questioning their dreams or their goals. It's a short read and well worth the time, even if it takes you the better part of a month like it did me. *grin* In my defense, I read it in two sittings. Those sittings just happened to be two or three weeks apart! Some day I'll get back to my old "chapter a day" mentality, but it may take time.
What's next? Well, I'm thinking it's time to finish the Hunger Games series. I read the first one just before the movie came out. I bought the other two at the same time, but never continued the series (despite LOVING it). How does that happen? I don't even know. I should have no problem zipping through those two books though. Maybe I'll finish them BOTH by the end of February! Wheeeee!
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