The Christmas Letters

by Jenny Proctor

A year ago, I started listening to audiobooks and now I’m totally hooked. Fiction, nonfiction, all of them. I love that I can listen and learn while I’m doing other things. Plus, if I’m listening to books, I can’t hear all the doubts swirling around in my head.

For a brief moment, I indulge in the possibility of my pen pal being Tess, but that doesn’t make enough sense to give it more than a passing thought. It would solve my problem of thinking about both women at the same time, but there’s just no way a coincidence that strong could ever be real.

They love each other so much, something that only makes what my previous relationship lacked more apparent.

We were together, and I believe we cared about each other, but that’s different than caring for each other.

It feels like people are too frequently motivated by having a job that’s going to pay them a salary they love rather than having a job that makes them happy. I mean, if you can have both, I guess that’s the best of both worlds, but happiness is more important, I think. Lots of money in a life that feels empty hardly seems worth it.

I love to read, but I’m still partial to the feel of a book in my actual hands. I might, with a little convincing, be willing to give an audiobook a try.

Though if I end up liking an audiobook, I might have to buy the book just to have it on my shelf. My grandma says this is weird. That I’ll check a book out from the library and then, if I like it, buy it for my own library.

Favorite beverage. I’m not much of a social drinker. I like food too much to consume too many liquid calories, so my boring answer is water.

If you make judgments against people who have money, you’re no better than the ones who judge people who don’t have any. Be better than that.”

I finally channel Taylor Swift and her Fearless era and include a heart-hands emoji.