Hey you,
How are things? The Nigerian in me is saying Happy New Month! Fingers crossed that this month is good to us.
It's the beginning of a new month and I don't like that anxiety is getting the best of me right now. I've always found that talking or writing about anxiety reduces the hold it has over me, though I'm conscious of its twin, fear, who is always lurking and waiting for its moment to pounce.
I'm not trying to be a fearless person, in fact, I think we all need a little bit of fear to remind us of our humanity. This time though, I think I'm going to bring Anxiety & Fear along for the ride. After all, they aren't exactly "bad feelings", it's okay to be a little anxious and afraid before making a change in our lives. I'm no expert but from what I've seen and experienced in my little life on earth, fear and anxiety can only cripple the mind when we allow them to.
Henceforth, my reminder pep talk will go something like this, "Dear Fear and Anxiety, I'm about to start something and I understand that you'll join me no matter what because you always do. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life, which is to raise panic whenever I attempt anything interesting or different and I get that you're trying to keep me safe. But, look at me, I'm the captain now, you're not allowed to touch any part of this vehicle. You will sit at the back and make your suggestions but no touching anything. Got it? Alright then, we move.
P.S I’d like to recommend Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert if you’re going through something similar. I love how she simplifies concepts that we know about but are too scared to interrogate.
In other news, August is Women In Translation(WIT) month. The day I found out about it, I blessed all the gods for Bookstagram because it’s truly one of my best hashtags for finding non-mainstream titles and what better way to travel the world through books, right? WIT was sparked in late 2013 by a series of independent observations as to the dearth of women writers in translation, by translator Alison Anderson and later by blogger Meytal Radzinski. The Women in Translation movement (WIT) is a global effort centered around the idea that women who write in languages other than English deserve to be widely read and appreciated. (pulled from the Women In Translation website)
Join The Indulgent Bibliophile this month as we travel through time to the 1920s. This historical novel is set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918. It’s so ironic that we have to go through this pandemic again as if that one wasn’t documented enough. Ugh! We’ll be discussing it via Zoom on the last Sunday of August, 5 pm WAT(save this link, okay?) If you can’t get a physical copy, the audiobook, which is available on Scribd, is a spectacular performance. (feel free to use my 60-day free trial link or pass it to a friend)
I absolutely love translated fiction so, make sure you’re tuned to Lipglossmaffia and Something Bookish Instagram accounts because it’s going to be raining RECs. Meanwhile, I’m currently reading(audiobooking) Violeta by Isabel Allende and Dava Shasthri’s Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti. I might start New York, My Village by Uwem Akpan this week. Alternatively, you can “friend” me on Storygraph for more detailed updates of my reads. What is on your TBR for August?
Before I leave, here’s a friendly reminder to give yourself the grace you always extend to others. You need it too, okay?
If you love my content, please do consider supporting me by giving me a shout-out on social media or in real life or you can even pray for me.
See you on the other side, Dearest.
XOXO
Thank you for this. I needed to read it. I love Big Maguc too. It was the only "motivational" book I kept recommending to people that year. I will go back to it. And yes, in these uncertain times, it's best to acknowledge the anxiety and fear.