"Don't Let Reading Get In The Way Of Living Your Life"

Photo Credit - web search

Hey there!

Yes, someone actually said that. They noticed that I was going to the library once a week instead of once a month. They noticed that I'd read before bed and lose track of time and therefore be a bit sleepy in the morning. They were pretty certain that "once you start going out more, won't have so much time to read".

First things first. I love reading. I began reading "Where The Wild Things Are" at 7 years old. I've always read more than other people that I know. Embarrassingly, it's only been in the last 5 years that I've found other readers like me and book conferences and book clubs that focused on various types of books that I like. Once I found these things, I was off and running. 

Night time reading. I'm a single gal. There is no particular Mr. ItWasBoundToHappen right now. There are a few folks vying for the spot but it's a tough race to win.  I've never been one for staying out late "on a school night" and I like that. I have no plans to change that any time soon. At night, I snuggle with a pillow or two. And you know, at 9 o'clock at night, my pillow doesn't care if I'm resting a large book across its non-feather, hypoallergenic stuffing. My comfy covers aren't bothered by the odd paperback sleeping with us. Reading at night soothes me. 

Which leads me to point three. On Saturday and Sunday or random off days, I wake up naturally (without the aid of an alarm clock) about 8am or 8:30am and usually feel pretty darn refreshed. On a typical work day my alarm clock (jarringly) goes off at 5:40am. I normally get out of bed no later than 5:55. I'm out the door by 6:40 and at my desk by 7:30.  So if I'm sleepy, it's probably because it's so darn early in the day. I could get 8 hours of sleep and at 6am I'm going to yawn. 

I know. I've done it. I've gone to bed way too early, gotten up way too early (8 hours later) and still yawned. I've also gone to sleep at 3am and gotten up at 9am and didn't yawn once!

And me, going out more -- I'm not a hermit that goes to work, comes home, waits on my delivery dinner, orders my groceries online and never sees the light of day. I don't hunker down in my hovel Friday night and crack the door open again Monday morning for work.

I might go out for drinks after work or I might meet friends for dinner. The kiddo and I might get our nails done or have a spa day. I might run to the mall or local shops (if you know me you know that that is HIGHLY likely! I love a good sale!). I'm far from a recluse and not close to a hermit. I have a wonderful social life that suits me very well. I love it! 

And my friends? Well, the like books too! I am a member of 2 live book clubs and 2 web book clubs (sighhh, I added a new live book club a few weeks ago). I am happy to say that I am friends with many of the librarians that I deal with on a weekly or monthly basis. I just made friends with a librarian in training today (you did great by the way, Tracy!). When you have friends that read, it's easier to fit reading into your day. No, not all of my friends read like I do but my closest friends -- yeah, they read. It may not be the novels that I read. I have a good friend that loves to read about photography. I have a friend that loves fashion magazines - she devours them like a good meal! I have several friend that keep socially conscience books in rotation all the time. And, I have friends that like smut books a lot (and I like those friends a lot). Your friends are a reflection of you. My friends read.

I'm able to read a lot in a short amount of time. One huge advantage that I have is that I take public transportation to work. I drive a few miles to the train station and spend the next 22 minutes engrossed in a book. Same thing on the way home. 44 minutes may not seem like a long time to some but you can knock out quite a few pages in that time. And, I have a very short commute to the train station. So, while some folks have a 1 - 2 hour commute each way, I have about a 30 - 35 minute commute each way. I'm normally hit my front door before 5pm.

My hobby is that I read. Some people golf. Others collect things (besides books). Some people hike and rock climb. Some people shop (Ok. I do that too). Some folk's hobby is socializing. 

I. Read. Books. 

I love it. I love talking about it. I love thinking about it. I love deciding which book I'm going to read next. I love writing and reading reviews about books. Just like others make time for their hobbies, I make time to read, not every day but most days. And it doesn't get in the way of my life. 

Reading is a part of my life. 

It's a major part. 

And I love it!