I read the book The Measure

and I'm going to yap about it.

Some of you here may or may not know I am a *reader* - so much so I have a bookstagram dedicated mostly to book reviews and recommendations.

NOW that I got my shameless plug out of the way, I wanted to yap about a book I recently read. I’m not sure why I decided *NOW* would be the perfect time to pick up The Measure by Nikki Erlick, but I did, and didn’t heed any of the trigger warnings before I did. As a fresh widow still in the absolute throes of grief most days, this book might not have been the obvious choice to read but it ended up becoming pretty therapeutic (and it was just really good).

The basic premise is one day the entire world receives a box with a string inside & the string length determines how long you will live (the book follows 8 different people when this happens). The boxes can’t be destroyed, but you can choose not to look. That’s as much as I will say about the actual storyline of the book because I don’t want to spoil it. *This means I think you should go read it*

This book made me wonder would I be someone who wanted to look at my string? Especially knowing what I know now. Would I want Tyler to look at his string? Would I be mad at him if he didn’t? The person I am today, 4 months into losing the love of my life, would say I wouldn’t change a thing. My time with Tyler was short but impactful. He treated me with such respect and admiration, and let me tell you, you don’t get that often as a strong and self-sufficient woman. He was my biggest fan. He was proud of how accomplished I was. He often told me it made him way to be better. And of course, without Tyler, I wouldn’t have the wonderful and happy little boy.

But if I’m being honest. There are moments where I think I would have chosen to look at the strings and think maybe wish I had walked away. To avoid all this pain. They are moments. They are fleeting. But that’s the ugly truth. Sometimes, the pain is so encompassing I have moments where I wish I could have go back and avoid all of this. But that’s impossible, and The Measure is just a book.

But a great book. One I highly recommend you all go pick up.

As always. Thanks for being here.

B.