“Take up and read; Take up and read." --from Saint Augustine's Confessions, Chapter XII
"Aye, these tousle-heads and good-for-nothings, how I love them! I revere books— those that I really read— too much to be able to love them." --from Martin Buber's Meetings, "Books and Men"
"Books are the best weapon in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!" --from Dr. Who in "Tooth and Claw"
For the not-to-distant future, I anticipate packing up my books and relocating to a lower elevation with a bigger population here in Colorado, even though 34+ years of being connected to this small mountain community have been good in so many ways.
Looking at my practical books of current interest, which carry the following titles, you can probably guess what I’m thinking about here in my 28th year of teaching public high school:
- Hinge Moments: Making the Most of Life’s Transitions
- Consider Your Calling: Six Questions for Discerning Your Vocation
- Stuck in Halftime: Reinvesting Your One and Only Life
- Designing Your New Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness–and a New Freedom–at Work
Even if you’re not close to retirement age, I highly recommend that you peruse these books to help you think through some options for “designing your life.” As I work through such planning for my second career (or parallel career), it puts me even more in touch with the anxiety and excitement that many of my juniors and seniors face. I’m getting very close to my own graduation. What comes next is a bit open right now, but I definitely want to keep working and keep reading.
Many changes are ahead for me. In light of my past, present, and future blessings that have come from reading all sorts of things, my website will be shifting in name and emphasis to “ReadtoFlourish.com.” I’ll still have an archive link for everything from TeachingArguments.com. Meanwhile, “Take up and read; Take up and read.”
ReadtoFlourish.com & TeachingArguments.com 