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Don’t tell anyone I said this because I shall deny it in the highest courts of law, but my life isn’t altogether happy. It’s not particularly sad, either. It’s just… blah! Or meh… or whatever the word is these days to describe something that’s truly boring and unsatisfying. Yes, that word. That is how my life is.
A recent trip to the seaside (with a beach and alcohol prohibition in place), forced me to spend more time reading and a lot less time on the Net. I could actually switch off from everyday life and simply watch the waves roll in, smell the salty air and listen to the crashing of water upon rocks and sand. It wasn’t a long trip – four days and a lot of driving – but it was worth it. A bit of a pause, if you will, to my everyday life.
I figured out that if I needed my life to be different when I return, something needed to change.
I made the decision to spice up my work life by listening to music while I work. That meant that headphones were on my shopping list (the previous pair mysteriously stopped functioning!), as I work in a library and not everyone appreciates the sounds that I do.
I found one with blue teeth (South African spin on Bluetooth capability!) that didn’t cost a fortune and then went looking for music and audiobooks that I could download and play to spice up my daily grind. I found some music playlists and podcasts on Spotify and a few Audiobooks on Scribd. Not as many stories as ways to improve me and be a better ME at the end of the day. (Yes, I subscribe to both of those media services. It’s not always easy to find the money, but for once I am grateful that I do.)
The first audiobook that I listened to was a delightful surprise. Yes, I am single. Yes, I don’t like it. Yes, I do want to have a partner and kids and a good life. And yes, I know it starts with me. So…
Enter the Angry Therapist, John Kim. His audiobook Single. On Purpose. really gave me pause. Sure, he swears a lot (less than Gordon Ramsey, but not by much) but he also gives really good practical advice and not simply quotes dead sages and repeats old adages. Having actually gone through “real” therapy to address exactly these issues before, I had no idea what to expect going in, but I knew somewhere in my gut that I wouldn’t leave this book the same way I went into it.
I didn’t. And I don’t. On top of the best practical advice that I have ever received, I have also been given a serious pep talk and some whacks upside the head. And no, I am not planning to follow every single thing he said to the letter, but the message behind the crazierof his ideas remains clear: be authentically yourself.
Scribd is free for the first 30 days. After that, it costs $8.99 per month to subscribe. It’s worth it.
