What My Broken Kindle Unexpectedly Taught Me

Last night, after almost a year of not reading anything, I felt the pull to return to my old habit. I took my Kindle out of its sleeve and turned it on. Little did I expect that instead of my usual Paperwhite screen lighting up, it would slowly fade.

And it broke my heart, because in that moment, I realized how much I had neglected the real world in favor of social media.

I don’t mean to place the blame on anyone but myself. Lately, all I’ve done in my spare time (especially in bed at night) is scroll through social media. Reading tweets and threads, or watching countless TikTok videos, felt more exciting than doing anything remotely productive.

And it was bad. Really bad.

That short attention span everyone warns us about? The one wise people all over the internet keep reminding us of? It started happening to me.

And I don’t want that. I really, really don’t want that.

After some consideration (and thanks to my credit card, which lets me turn purchases into a year-long installment), I decided to order a brand-new Kindle Paperwhite 12th gen.

I want to believe this wasn’t an impulsive purchase, but rather an intentional step toward building a better habit. With that decision, I’ve also committed to setting boundaries with social media. I don’t want it to consume most of my time anymore.

So, if you don’t see me posting as often on this blog from now on, don’t worry. I’m just trying to juggle my time between working, blogging, reading, crocheting, socializing, and actually living.

I hope this truly works.

Goodbye, my old Kindle Paperwhite 10th gen. Thank you for sticking with me for five years. Your departure brought a deep sense of sadness, but also a valuable lesson.

If you like this post, you might also enjoy How an Imaginary Snake Slapped Me in the Face and Learning to Care: What the 3-Years-Old Have Taught Me.