We’ve come to the end of my rereading month!! It’s pretty much flown by though I think it’s because June turned out to be an unexpectedly busy month as well. I’ll recap everything properly this weekend (i.e. hopefully today or the day after) so let’s talk about the books first.

I had some time after my previous post to continue reading Infused and I continued to enjoy it! Henrietta truly has a wonderful way of talking about tea and I find her passion for it to be infectious. I would probably have more to say about the book if it weren’t for the next book I read that completely filled my brain with other thoughts:

Throughout this month, I’ve been in two minds about whether to reread Grit by Angela Duckworth. I liked it when I read it, but I wasn’t sure if I needed to read it. But its extremely foxed condition is extremely eye-catching and a bit distressing (the only person who has not looked at the book with dismay is my mum, since she thinks it makes the book look creative – I aspire to look on the bright side like that) as well so I eventually took it out to read.

Well… the book was both inspiring and a bit demoralising. I took the Grit Scale (available here) and realised that I wasn’t very gritty nor do I have any high-level goals. I think my interests have largely stayed the same – books, tea (plus I’ve always been interested in Japanese and Chinese cultures) but do I have any long-term projects? No, not really. I used to write regularly, but after revising two books several times and feeling like I was making no progress, I gave up. That’s probably a sign of non-grittiness.

Since I literally just re-read Infused, I couldn’t help marvelling at how gritty Henrietta is compared to me. No wonder she’s the Tea Lady! I’m still trying to figure out what I would like to do with tea or books or really the part of life that is not about my job.

I definitely would like to have a long-term project. I’ve always felt more motivated when there was a medium-to-long-term goal, like living in Japan or trying to self-publish a novella. I’m starting to wonder if the reason why I’m always tired and feeling like I’m burning out is because I don’t have a bigger goal that pulls me forward, or if I need to take some time off to find a goal. I definitely would like to do something with writing, ideally with tea or with Japanese and/or Chinese culture to explain it to someone else or entertain someone, but I wonder what type of project would work?