Reading

As a child I was not the fastest reader. I still am a bit slower than others, but I really do enjoy it. My first grade teacher used to have a footed bathtub in the corner of the classroom. If we were good we could go into the tube and read. I loved that and I would be extra good just to go relax and read in there.

I think that had a lot to do with my view of reading. That it was relaxing and a treat, one of life’s pleasures. I also think that is why I have always read slowly, since I like to savor it and it’s not something I want to rush.

There are other things I love to savor, like time spent with friends. Maybe it’s OD-ing on too many design magazines over the years but I do like to see my friends enjoy meals I cook and put out tea lights and create a nice atmosphere. Where these ideas all go astray is in the fact that I have so many books and magazines and newspapers around the house.
In fact you can tell where I sit and have been in the house by the stacks of New Yorkers and books on my side of the room.

While I am no, ‘Neat Freak’, by any stretch of the imagination, it does get to me every once in a while. Then I have to thin out the piles of magazines and the ten or so books I am reading at any one time. Even the trips to IKEA and purchasing of bins to put them all in doesn’t really help. Okay, so I need some more book shelves that’s for sure. This is an improvement over how I used to be. I used to save my old fashion magazines with a religious fervor. It was getting scary. It wasn’t the books themselves but the hope that one day I might be able to afford some of these things and go to these places.

I can say that after meeting some of my personal goals I didn’t have to cling on to the security blanket of Vogue’s like I had once done. It is much better to realize your dreams than to keep dreaming. Now I have no problem throwing out old magazines when I am done with them, they no longer are such a big deal. As for my books, I guess when I am gone I will donate them to a local library or something. I have a nice collection of signed first editions I am not letting go of anytime soon.

Why all this mess? For the simple fact that I love reading and the written word. A well constructed sentence and great photos. The feel of heavy card stock paper, or linen paper with jagged edges. The fresh ink on paper, or the glossy paper in fashion magazines with a black and white photo on it. Here’s to my favorite addiction reading… and as far as being a totally goner with no hope of recovery. Guilty as charged!