The idea of settling down and how to feel good about buying books
Plus, the next 3 books on my to-read list
When we say “settle down”, we’re groomed to think of a new car, a forever-home and a linear career path with long-service leave.
I’m the most content and fulfilled I’ve ever been and it’s not because I have any of the above - it’s because I’m settled in my values.
I feel settled in my self-awareness and anti-fragility; in the love of my truest relationships; in a passion for the outdoors and the arts; in a conviction that my work is best when it’s creative and meaningful and in a commitment to always be as vibrant in mind, body and spirit as possible.
I believe that when it’s values and not things nor places that you feel “settled” in, that’s when you truly have the stability that we are hardwired to crave. When the ‘what’ is not rooted in the ‘why’, all you have are rigidities that can and will likely one day break.
I’m thinking of all of this because as we prepare to move (which will be my 4th move in my life), I’m met with a sentiment I’m all too familiar with - “when will you settle down?”
I’d like to challenge you and have you define what “settling down” actually means to you. A list of belongings, bank account benchmarks and even a bucket list of experiences are really not enough, if you can’t explain why you want them and what they represent to you. I’ve always believed I owe it to myself (and to the sacrifices my parents made, and to the fortune to be right here, right now) to dig and live deeper than that.
And look, I confess I’m simply really personally triggered by that question. When people ask me that, I know that they are mostly wondering what I picture my life will be like a few years down the track.
However, that question is so loaded with assumptions and instead, all I hear is, “when are you going to live a life that looks just like mine?” If I was to flip the question around to come from my point of view, it would along the lines of, “when are you going to shake things up, do something different and actually live your life?” You can viscerally feel the judgement in that and that’s not how I want to communicate with my fellow humans.
So in addition to challenging you to define what “settling down” personally means to you, I’d also like to challenge you to be mindful of the words you use and the tone with which you use them.
By Thuc @ Fiction (who is moving to Tasmania by the way).
Did someone forward you this? Sign up yourself instead:
How to feel good about buying books
So you know that this section is usually where I share my favourite words and lines from my current read (which is Tim Winton’s Dirt Music).
However, for this edition, I want to share how I buy books.
This might be a weird thing to question but firstly, I do move around a lot and books are undeniably heavy and bulky and secondly, I don’t like to indulge in consumerism. Those two reasons combined have always made me feel uneasy when buying a brand new book, only to read it once and then leave it on a shelf to collect dust. (And before you suggest a Kindle - I’m sorry, I can’t and I don’t want to.)
I recently discovered Better World Books, an online second-hand book seller that uses proceeds to fund literacy programs all over the world. I’m waiting for my order of The Goldfinch, The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments and am SO excited to have my next three reads sorted.
As a child, I always had my head buried in a novel and reading gave me so much consolation and a feeling of being understood. It gives me all the warm and fuzzies to imagine that the proceeds from my order are helping someone else access the same wells of imagination, creativity and comfort.
And if you are in Canberra, Book Lovers Lane at Fyshwick Markets sells second-hand books (which you can also donate) and pays the funds forward towards Lifeline’s local Crisis Support Service. As someone who has personally used a similar service during the pandemic, I feel that this is a very (and increasingly) important cause.
I do still see merit in buying brand new books, if only to support the arts and support the author. However, if you ever find yourself experiencing the same feelings of discomfort and almost-guilt when browsing new books in an air-conditioned retail shop, I hope this suggestion helps.
What I recently (professionally) wrote
My latest website copy project laid at the meeting point of one of my favourite industries and a writing style that I’m not only strong at, but am passionate about as an effective marketing tool.
I’m thrilled to have my words on AIR CBR’s beautiful new website. AIR CBR is a premium supplier of scenic flights and experiences, charters and corporate tours in and around Canberra.
They came to me with the goal to inject emotion and storytelling into their website copy. After all, we buy experiences because of how they make us feel and as Jonathan Gottschall says, “we are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.”
When I stalked a few helicopter tour companies and found that their websites mostly featured cookie-cutter copy - it was as though they’d just swapped out the location names and prices - I felt even more passionate about our direction for AIR CBR.
I wrote AIR CBR’s website copy to be elevated and adventurous, while still staying grounded. I’m so grateful to have been involved with AIR CBR and am so happy with the finished product so peruse their website and let me know the lines you love most (and which experience has your name all over it).
If you have a website copy project you’d like Fiction to work on, email hello@fiction-agency.com to save your spot for mid-April and May and let’s collaborate.