My Drug of Choice

One of the constants in my life is that there will always be way too many good books than there is time to read them. After my recent trip to Florida, where I read for 4 days straight, I spent a goodly amount of time trying to figure out how I could retire immediately, so that I could read non-stop for the rest of my life, and still eat and have a roof over my head. All I came up with was divorcing the Mister and finding an already, much richer man to marry instead, or winning the lottery. I'll keep buying tickets, because the first plan is way to energetic for me, plus I'm not sure I will find a rich guy who's willing to hook up with a someone who really doesn't want to talk to him. Besides,I like the Mister.

Anyway, employment notwithstanding, reading is one of my very favorite things of all to do. I'm not sure what people who don't read do with themselves....if you're not reading, what are you doing? Computers and television are fun, I should know, I spend enough time on both of them myself, but you can't just whip out your laptop in line at the passport office to pass the time.

Whether it's on a plane or in a doctor's office or in a line at the bank or during my lunch break, my immediate action is to pull out my book. Because I always have a book on the go. Always. And it's always with me....one of the things I learned from my father is "never leave the house without a book". There are very few times in my life where I've said to myself "man, I should never have brought something to read with me!". And believe me, there have been plenty of times I wish I had some sort of diversion along with me; there was more than a few mind-numbing parties I've attended, and one profoundly boring date I was on, where I wished I had brought along my book.

No matter what trials or tribulations I've encountered in my admittedly blessed life, I've always had reading to take my mind off things, or to remind me that other people in other times had it way, way worse than me...."that husband of mine is really pissing me off, but here's a woman who's husband had her declared insane and committed to an institution so he could steal all her money. Okay then!"

I don't know what I'd do without books. They've taught me and consoled me and entertained me and warned me and enlightened me. I love the idea that I can be inside someone else's head, even someone who's been dead for 200 years. It never ceases to amaze me that someone I've never met can speak to me so vividly and candidly, and sometimes that person isn't even real.

One of my co-workers once said to me "wow, you reading another book? You just read one last week!" Luckily, there will always be another one next week, too.