Lydia Schoch

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Did anyone else find this week’s prompt a bit challenging?

I live a peaceful life that honestly wouldn’t fit in well with dramatic, high-action stories.

Here are a few films and books about quiet, introverted, bookish people that remind me of myself.

William Thacker from the romantic comedy Notting Hill

Why: The main character owns a bookstore and is bashful about publicity. I enjoyed working in a bookstore years ago and also try to avoid the spotlight.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Why: I love spending time in nature, whether that is by taking a brisk walk/hike, bird watching, or sitting quietly and observing what is around me. Like Thoreau, I also like going back home and enjoying my share of creature comforts at the end of the day.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Why: Francie and I both grew up in working class families that highly valued formal and informal education. Having extra money does makes it easier to raise children, but you can still give a kid a wonderful life on a tight budget if you focus on what’s important.

Rosa is third from the right in this poster.

Detective Rosa Diaz from the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine 

Why: Rosa and I are both private people who steer clear of office gossip and politics. We’d much rather get the work done as quickly and accurately as we can.

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Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I interpreted this week’s prompt to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek question about the unique things that give our lives meaning. That is to say, I won’t be mentioning food, water, oxygen, or other stuff that every human needs to stay alive. I’m also assuming necessities like glasses or medicine aren’t supposed to be included. Here’s hoping you all interpreted it in similar ways!

Internet Access. You all might giggle at this, but I often choose vacation destinations based on whether they have Internet access and how strong their signal might be. While I do spend most of my vacation time offline having adventures, I really like being able to text the people I travel with or google the history of the places I visit.

Stories. They can come in the form of books, TV shows, films, or true anecdotes about my loved ones.  I adore stories of every shape, size, and origin.

Spending Time in Nature. Yes, most of the time this involves visiting urban parks where I still have that all-important Internet access. LOL! There is something so soothing about being surrounded by trees, grass, flowers, and the occasional babbling brook. It’s even better if I can take a long, brisk walk through it. I sleep like a baby after those excursions.

Non-Competitive Games. That is to say, I love playing board and card games if no one cares about winning and/or if we play a game that encourages everyone to cooperate to reach their goals. I adore banter and the silly things people discuss when they’re playing a game whose only purpose is to encourage everyone to spend time together.

Dairy-Free Chocolate. Any dentists participating in the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge may not approve of this answer, but I relish good chocolate. It’s the best sort of sweet there is in my opinion. I even like 100% chocolate that contains little to no added sugar in it. An adult relative was once surprised by how much little Lydia liked dark chocolate, especially since they’d just finished telling me that it wasn’t something children liked.

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Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

It was difficult to narrow my answer down to only one book this week.

There are so many amazing biographies and autobiographies out there, but in the end I had to go with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou for reasons I’ll get into below.

One, Ms. Angelou had a unique story to tell. Her childhood included very difficult experiences like moving between multiple households/caregivers as a small child and recovering from sexual abuse a few years later. (The incident itself was not included in her autobiography from what I recall, but I thought I should mention it for anyone who would rather not read about the after-effects of that topic).  With that being said, she was also surrounded by adults who loved her and who did everything they could to help her heal.

Two, the author had a poetic and descriptive writing style that is well-suited for an autobiography. She brought the heartwarming moments of her childhood to life in exquisite detail, and there were quite a few of them.

Three, everyone goes through tough times at one point or another. I find comfort in reading about the coping skills other people have relied upon when they experienced loss, trauma, grief, or other hard stuff. No two stories are every alike, but you can find many common threads in them if you pay attention.  It’s also encouraging to see examples of people persevering and eventually finding their way to happier chapters in life.