Motivational Reading

It is entirely possible I emerged from my mother's womb reading....at least that's one theory.

The love affair with books began early in childhood with fairy tales and mysteries and later science fiction. We never swam in money, but my father loved to bring me books he'd find here and there, like "Alice in Wonderland".

Visiting my grandparents in rural Georgia usually found me in a corner of the room beside the unlit fireplace, after finding a good read off their shelves, books my father had read growing up, like "Martians Go Home" and "Rin Tin Tin".

Some of my fondest memories involve libraries. My favorite hall-of-books was the military library at Patrick Air Force Base in Satellite Beach, Florida. Cozy, plenty of chair-filled nooks, wood floors that creaked and windows where the sunshine streamed in along with the sound of the ocean waves. It was peaceful, mostly quiet, and full of promise...and I loved journeying along for the ride.

In college my favorite hangout was the campus library. There was much planning for the future there, as well as getting assignments and research done.

My ex-husband shared my affection for reading, which is how one of our favorite date-time getaways involved Barnes and Noble and Godiva chocolates. Luckily our kids inherited the bookish gene as well, and homeschooling was most fun scouring local libraries in the winter and gift shops in the summer, snagging books as souvenirs.

I confess Amazon and I have a longstanding history, and I'm secretly proud of my spending record, having mastered the art of shopping on their new/used marketplace. I keep expecting a platinum Amazon American Express card offer to come in the mail any day now...

This week the kids and I, in an effort to stay out of the heat and be as lazy as possible (conserving energy you know) recently visited our local library and this is what I schlepped up our three flights of stairs--the rest was left behind for later (see photo). As we met up at a table before leaving the library, the kids were wide-eyed seeing my stacks spread out, probably pitying me for having this much time on my hands with little else to fill it with. But the excursion left me happy as a clam and bubblier than a fizzy Kombucha.

Exploring the world of possibilities, discovering all the things one has a passion for, it's all there. Almost as much fun as living it!