I was reading an article the other day about finding your true passions and one test was to imagine you had to give away everything you valued, one thing at a time, and see what was left at the end. I tried this out on my morning walk with the dogs through the woods behind the house, a place that is party to all kinds of weird and wonderful thoughts of mine!
Excluding people and animals, I started mentally chucking things out – tv, radio, house (ouch), pictures, photos, clothes, shoes and jewellery until I was left with something that didn't surprise me for one minute. Books.
My mother told me and my sister when we are little that 'books are friends' and it is something that has stayed with me ever since. I always have at least two on the go, usually more. I can't read fiction during the day – daylight hours (over breakfast for example) is strictly non-fiction time, while the night is for novels.
So when I am homeless and in rags with tv, no jewellery and no internet, at least I will have my old friends with me – the ones with pages and covers that is.