Sara Nelson’s fault. I don’t even know her, but it seems right to place the blame squarely on her shoulders.

I mean, she wrote So Many Books, So Little Time about her passion for reading, chronicling how she read a book a week for a year. It’s December 25, I am only about 30 pages into her book (and loving it, by the way) and am immediately compelled to try the same thing at the start of the new year. I mean, why not? She talks about her busiest times in life being the times she’s actually reading the most. It’s something I always want to be doing. Reading more. Watching TV less. Reading more. Facebooking less. Reading more. Doing just about anything else, less.

I know I can do this. I love reading and I adore books. I buy books at a rate that’s fairly faster than my ability to read them, so I have amassed a small but sizeable collection. My friend Deejah is also willing to do it with me. Those experts are always saying to have a buddy when you embark on a new and challenging project, so I have that on my side.


It’s fitting that I am coming to the close of two similar endeavors: Project 182 (my half-year version of Project 365, where I have taken a picture a day for six months and December Daily, a daily digital scrapbooking project). Both of these efforts were met with lukewarm excitement from my closest of friends. “I give you 5 weeks on this picture a day thing,” said Claudia, who, in her defense, knows me very well. She’s the one who knows the dreamer in me, the idea generator that can quickly move onto the next big thing. And with only six more days of taking photos to meet my Project 182 goal, well we all know what I COULD say. But I won’t. I am thinking it, though.

In addition to improving my shutterbug skills, the daily photo project forced me to slow down, be alert, always prepared and live in the moment. It produced delightfully unexpected results that, admittedly, I want to continue to develop and experience. I think unplugging a little bit–well a lot, actually–this next year can allow me to do that. And who knows what other treasures it will bring. Whatever comes of it, I will document here. But before I can do any of that, I have to finish Sara’s book and I have to do it fast. Week one starts January 3.


Eeeks.