I hang out at our local Barnes & Noble A LOT—at least one evening a week and two or three times on a weekend. Sometimes twice a day. I claim “my” table in the cafe, adjacent to the magazine shelves (and get irrationally annoyed if someone else is already sitting there), spread out a selection of inked fountain pens, and work on a letter. There’s enough activity to keep me interested, but not so much that I can’t concentrate (now that Thomas, the hyena-like barista, took a job elsewhere. Oh, happy day!)
I feel so at home there. Books, snacks, magazines, coffee (though I usually bring my own from home…shhhhhh). Heaven as I picture it.
Sometimes I take a break from letter writing and cookie eating to browse around the store. I gaze at the blank journals that I DO NOT NEED, check out the tables of sale books and new fiction, flip through cookbooks, and leaf through magazines. Flow magazine is one of my favorites. Flow is a Dutch publication for paper lovers, packed with activities, quotes, papers, stickers, and booklets. It’s a very hands-on magazine. It’s also quite pricey (about $28) so I always talk myself out of buying a copy, though I’m sure I’d love it.
Last week I was circling the store when my eyes fell on this display…
A book by Flow! Who knew there was such a thing?
I grabbed a copy, hurried back to my table and explored its pages and offerings. Like the magazine, the book is stuffed with things to think about and do. So many things to do. I love the subtitle, too—An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness. Right up my alley in so many ways.
The 218-page volume is about an inch and a half thick, bulging with projects and inspiration, things to think about, play with, and share. Here’s a small sample of what’s inside…
A section on slowing down and doing less, with it’s own little notebook.
A section on Mindful Analysis, and another notebook to fill out over the course of thirty days.
Good advice for tough situations.
Postcards to write and share.
A section on hand-lettering.
Perforated/tear-out cards for recording the special moments from your days.
A section for guided lists, with topics like “Things that give me energy” and “Habits I want to break.”
There’s so much content and so many activities in this one volume that I haven’t even scratched the surface, but you get the idea.
The back cover describes the book as “a mindfulness retreat between two covers,” and encourages us to “Move slowly and with intention through the pages, and discover that sweet place where life can be both thoughtful and playful.”
I often feel like I’m running through my days solely on reflexes and adrenaline. I bet you do, too. I also have a stash of pens, pencils, markers, and colored pencils that don’t get enough use. This book seems like the perfect prescription for both problems.
Let’s think and play and create. Let’s slow down.
Yes, let’s.
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A Book That Takes Its Time retails for $27.50 US. I purchased my copy online (where it’s listed at $22), with my own funds, from Barnes & Noble, and saved a bit more by using my membership discount and a 20% off holiday coupon. So worth it! I was not compensated in any way for this review and am not affiliated with Barnes & Noble or Flow magazine.
From the Pen Cup 