Dear Bibliotherapist,
I’m working flat out, 58 hours a week, and don’t have any time to organise a holiday, let alone take one. I do, however commute for twenty minutes at the beginning and end of the day, and I always read during that time. At the moment I find I read more news than literature, and I feel very disconnected from the more poetic side of the world. What can you recommend that I read in order to reconnect?
Dear Overworked,
What you need is to take a few holidays for the brain. One brilliant way to achieve an instant brain vacation is to learn a poem off by heart, at least one a week. Your 20 minute commute is ideal. Start with something easy to learn, like ‘maggie and milly and molly and may” by e e cummings. This simple poem seems child-like when first encountered, but if you commit it to your memory, you will discover the resonances that speak of cummings’ transcendental philosophy, and a shift in your consciousness will slowly take place. The poem is about the sea, which as a balm for the mind is as good as a holiday, even strictly in the imagination. Use this poem as a stepping stone to other verse that you can learn – Ted Hughes’ collection “By Heart 101 poems to Remember' is an excellent volume for this purpose.
The sea is a tonic refreshingly explored in Gavin Pretor- Pinney’s book, “The Wave Watcher’s Companion”. All of life’s undulations are navigated by the Cloud Watching expert, who takes the reader from light and sound waves to microwave forms and shockwaves unleashed by explosions. Pretor-Pinney applies both humour and diligence to this subject, which is far more than a philosophical and whimsical look at waves on the beach. His research is far-reaching, but the book is a delight to read and ideal for dipping into during your commute.
Finally, get stuck in to a novel that is short enough to read over a week, but long enough that you get well into the characters and are left wishing you could spend some more time with them. “ A View of the Harbor” by Elizabeth Taylor takes you into the minds of the inhabitants of a faded seaside harbour, where bed-ridden Mrs Bracey observes the local comings and goings from her bedroom window. This glimpse into another age, just after the war in a typically English seaside town, will give you a vacation from your daily grind, leaving you feeling nostalgic for a bygone era, but probably thankful at the same time for living in a more liberated and fast moving age. Taylor writes with poetic grace and sharp observation, and will have you chortling wryly all the way home.
Now rest your mind, recite a poem silently in your head, and you will find yourself surprised at the whole new vistas opening up behind your eyes. When you finally manage to take a tangible holiday, you will be all the better prepared for it, with your brain open to new experiences and capable of turning in on itself to find familiarity.
Ella Berthoud is a bibliotherapist at The School of Life. For more information about the service click here. Holiday reading dilemmas? Book into a speedy session to identify the perfect inspiring summer read.
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