During this time of quarantine, I have been doing more of my reading outdoors, mostly on my back deck which overlooks the lake, or else on our boat dock, where I can listen to the water lapping and boats going by. The weather has been wonderful during almost the entire past two months, for which I’m very grateful. It really helps to get some fresh air. I can feel stress simply drop away and I feel bad for people who don’t have that opportunity, especially during this time.
It’s nice to have a good place to read. And I mean a GOOD place. With a comfortable chair and a decent reading lamp and, preferably, an excellent cup of coffee. But honestly, I can read anywhere.
I’ve read in my mom-mobile van, waiting for my children to pour out of school. I’ve read in doctors’ offices and nail salons and as a kid, I even read on the school bus. To this day, I still have selective hearing and can tune out almost anything.
I am guilty of reading at inappropriate times – in the bathroom, in the middle of the night, over my child’s shoulder as I rocked him to sleep (Bad Mommy!). I almost always read at the breakfast table. (In my defense, for many years I ate breakfast alone, after my husband left for work. Now that he’s retired, I still read even though he’s sitting right there. But then, he watches the news on TV, so I figure we’re even.)
The picture below is photographic evidence that I’ve read at family parties. (Gone with the Wind, I believe.)
So, there really are no BAD places to read, but some places are better than others. Outdoors in the spring and summer. In the autumn, coffee shops always call to me (could it be the pumpkin lattes?). In the winter, I enjoy reading by the fireplace.
I enjoy reading in libraries. The library at UNC-Charlotte, where I earned my teaching degree, is a high-rise and each floor has lovely carrels where you can read and work. And I once went to Boston and was able to visit the main library there. It was awesome. Felt like being in church.
The following photo is of my niece, Blythe, reading at camp meeting. I wish it was a better photo, for I’d really love to use it for the book cover. I may have to recreate it. Fortunately, my daughter-in-law Brittany is an excellent photographer.
And she’s a reader too (how lucky is that?). This is her with son James. Sitting on your mom’s lap is also a fantastic place to read, as is sitting with someone in your own lap, reading to them.
This blog post is a short one, but I hope you all have some good places to sit and read while we wait out the quarantine. I’m currently reading Sorry I Missed You by Suzy Krause and enjoying it very much. Happy reading to you all!
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