Junk Food

Every book club I've participated in has made an effort to pick at least one "junk food book" to review every year.

It didn't mean the book had to suck, just that it was one that classified as an easy read. Maybe a simple who-dun-it, or a light celebrity read. Not something we'd be able to brag about reading. But sometimes it really would be awful: a ridiculous space opera, or a romance with absolutely no credibility.

We need some junk food in our lives. Movies that can still be followed if you follow halfway through, a dinner that can be popped in the microwave. And social junk food, too. Hanging out at a restaurant because it sounds good, not because it photographs well for Instagram. Trying hobbies because they're fun, not because you think you'll ever master it.

Life's more enjoyable when we don't take it too seriously, when we let ourselves have fun and occasionally make mistakes, when we relax without wondering how it'll make us look. Yeah, make good and healthy choices 90% of the time. But that other 10%? Grab the chips.