You know what's tough? Finding time to read.
We get that. It's one of the reasons we exist. Life is complicated, responsibilities are many, and work is sometimes the only time you get to yourself. That's pretty shit and we're trying to do something about it (see Rule No. 2). Meanwhile, you might only manage to pick up a book on the train, or in the break room, or with your pants around your ankles on the loo. It kind of feels like an extreme sport in itself.
Good idea, we said, and made a monthly challenge out of it. Hashtag #unusualreading.
Throughout March 2022 we challenged dudes to post a picture of themselves reading somewhere weird. Within reason, obviously. We had our usual disclaimer that if you endanger yourself or anyone else, you're disqualified. Still, goons got creative and produced some great stuff. Join our FB group and search for yourself to see them all.
There's the first category - goons who were busy and did their best. Snatching a few pages on the bus, in the backyard, in the shower or while cooking dinner. We saw them at the shops, the gym, out riding the bike. Turns out a lot of goons read on the couch while buried under a pile of dogs or kids. And that's great! Even if it's just a hard copy instead of a Kindle, a change is as good as a holiday!
Next there's what we might call the second category - goons who went the extra mile. Quite literally in some cases, we had a lot of beautiful shots of hiking trails and the great outdoors. Then there were goons in museums, at the zoo, dangling from harnesses on rock climbing walls or off the side of buildings, in the crowd at a Spiderbait (or Grinspoon) gig, wandering the rows at a winery, or in the stands at the footy. We love that shit. Not just because you're doing the challenge but because you're making an effort to do something for yourself. Whether you finish the book or not, our work is done.
But most interesting of all is what we'll call Category Three, Extreme TGBC Events - goons in hospitals. We saw them reading in waiting rooms, while donating blood, even in emergency departments (for themselves or family members - either way it's impressive). The popular 'winner' of this challenge was the goon who fit in a few pages while stretched out on the machine waiting for his post-prostatectomy radiation treatment.
Look, we read and talk books because it's good for your mind. But we need you to take care of your body as well. Sure it's tough, but you know what's really fucking tough? Fighting cancer and reading Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic masterpiece The Road at the same time. That shit is hardcore.
We'll probably do this one again, so start thinking now and you'll have something cool in your back pocket next time it rolls around.
And wherever you are, take some time to read a book. You won't regret it.
