50 In 50
How a commitment to 50 books in my 50th year became an obsession (in a good way)
In January of 2020, I was contemplating my 50th birthday and trying to figure out what I could do just for me, something meaningful that I gave myself and would always remember…not a trip or an experience, not a piece of jewelry, but rather something that would nourish my soul and my mind. After a lot of thought, I decided on books. I committed to reading 50 books for my 50th birthday – it would be time set aside, as often as life would allow, to just be and escape back in time or visit a place without leaving the comfort of my bed. Little did I know that this commitment would become an obsession!
By March 11, 2020, I had read 11 books. I was on schedule, reading about a book per week, according to Goodreads (my favorite way to keep track, since I often forget if I have read something). And, then the world came to a grinding halt. My husband and I couldn’t go to the office, our younger daughter couldn’t go to school and our older daughter was coming home from her junior year in college as the campus was shutting down. Books became a safe place from the insanity of COVID-19.
It had long been a discussion in the community engagement department of JCC Chicago to bring authors in for programming. Unfortunately, the honorariums and cost of travel to have authors come to Chicago, was prohibitive until the pandemic changed all that. As our team pivoted to online programming, the world of books opened to our community.
Fairly quickly, I was able to confirm discussions with authors all over the world – from New York to California, London to Florida, Canada to Sweden. The authors were thrilled to be able to talk about their books and meet the Chicago community. It also gave my colleagues and I the opportunity to read books outside of our interests, (mine being historical fiction,) and learn a great deal too.
So, reading started off as a gift to myself for a special birthday and became part of my job, although not the original intention of my plan. In the end, I actually completed 70 books or 140% over my intended goal. I got much more out of the experience than I could have possibly imagined when I made the commitment way back in January of 2020. My love of reading has grown exponentially as I was not an avid reader growing up, (much to my parent’s dismay). Now I don’t watch much television as I always have a book to read, and I have had amazing opportunities to meet people around the world via Zoom.
The original task of reading 50 books in my 50th year was daunting, but I am proud of the accomplishment of completing so many more; it is a wonderful memory and for me, the bright side of the pandemic.
Interested in what I have read or am currently reading? Friend me on Goodreads. And check out the JCC Chicago JTalks page for upcoming books and author discussion, along with my colleagues’ favorite picks.
Happy reading!
Hillary Wenk
Manager of Operations, Community Engagement