I vacillate between being a voracious reader and then not reading at all. But that doesn't stop the compulsion to buy many books and stack them in piles next to my bed, on the table next to my bed, and on the floor next to the full bookshelf. All I need is a quick mention in an interview, news article, or movie that references a book or a certain writer as a source and I am googling away. In addition to Amazon, books end up in my mailbox from my sister-in-law or my neighbor. They both read a ton...and they share!

I am not interested in reading on a Kindle or on an Ipad...I need a book. Hardcover preferably. I will confess, while I know the library is a source, I seek the pleasure of actually owning the book. I don't always read them. The cover art can seduce me (similar to wine labels or album covers). Sometimes it's one poem or one chapter that gets dog eared and read again and again while the rest of the book is ignored.

In Japan, there is a term called tsundoku which describes a person who owns copious amounts of unread literature. Doku is a verb which means to read and Tsumu means to pile up or harbor (think tsunami). It is sometimes referred to as "the art of buying books" which sounds more romantic. It is not a derogatory term, it is used lovingly to acknowledge an eccentricity. I take comfort in having them there.

Mainly what I am hungry for is inspiration. I want to collect ideas and thoughts, catch a glimpse of how other people’s brains see the world. Allowing there to be nuanced colors added to my world or descriptions I would not have fathomed. To swallow words up whole so that I can taste and chew on them for a bit. I delight in how the words or ideas will show back up in my own experience. Or how a situation will remind me of a story I read or a character I once knew.

In yoga practice, I experience a similar thing. It is delightful to practice with other teachers and listen to the words and cues that use to describe things I also instruct every day. How different all of our experiences and descriptions can be, how many ways they are to say the simplest of things.

This year has forced, no encouraged, many of us to move out of our comfort zones. Me writing a weekly email as an example. Another is being delighted to offer a workshop on New Years Day, something I have not done before. I sheepishly asked brilliant teacher/writer/friend Tracy Bleier to join with me. Our workshop, Time + Space is an opportunity to move a little and write a little. Tracy inspires me with the creative way she explores writing. We offer this workshop on New Years Day not to lament 2020 or force 2021, but simply time and space to be.

Reading inspires me. Writing inspires me. Yoga inspires me. Nature inspires me. YOU inspire me.