The other day I was wandering about the library.
My library employs several shelves for the express purpose of displaying books. These shelves are meant to tantalize you and also to show the incredibly large selection of reading material the library offers on every subject.
I was browsing one of these shelves, wishing I had the time to read the book on cooking with onions, the history of women's footwear, and the book about hiking with small children (do I have small children? no, I do not). I stood in front of that shelf dreaming of having the time to read those books but remembering the two and a half shelves of books in my room waiting to be read and my goodreads to-read list stuffed full and the list I keep in my head of books I'd like to pick up when I've got a little extra time.
I realized that I will never be able to read all the books I want to. And then I felt terribly betrayed.
I've always known there would never be enough time for all the things I wish there were time for. I will never be a master carpenter, a master cook, a master seamstress, a master musician, and a master of everything else that I've taken a fancy to over the years. I don't have the time to even have a small sort of skill in all these areas.
In the same way I knew I'd never be able to read all the books I'd like to.
Knowing is not the same as believing.
Standing in front of that shelf I finally understood what I thought I already knew. My library promises me everything but everything is not a true possibility.
Simply put, I cannot do it. For the first time in my life ever, I knew beyond a doubt that even if I poured all my energies and attention into a single purpose, I could not possibly succeed.
The betrayal I felt was not bitter. Just very sad.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Friday, June 6, 2014
Summer Bucket List
I've been thinking more about the idea of a summer bucket list. I'm still not ready to commit to one. Particularly since I will spend a large portion of this summer in upstate New York.
But, if I were to have a summer bucket list, it would look something like list:
But, if I were to have a summer bucket list, it would look something like list:
- pack the perfect picnic
- become a whiz at whipping up delicious, homemade popsicles
- never, ever let the freezer be empty of homemade, delicious popsicles
- make my own swimsuit
- make two more
- spend as much time as possible up the canyon
- read outside in the sunshine every day
- hang out at the pool with a niece or nephew at least once a week
- put a strip of summer fun color in my hair
- make a funfetti layer cake from scratch with lots of sprinkles on top
- eat the cake
- grill watermelon
Thursday, June 5, 2014
May Books
I'm going to make this quick because I'm behind by five days. How embarrassing.
I had a poor showing this month. I've been concentrating on other things. Even so, according to Goodreads I'm three books ahead of schedule for my yearly goal. Yes, I'm awesome.
The Forgotten Man was my favorite. I am not a fan of Roosevelt and someone needs to rewrite the history books to show an accurate portrayal of how he affected the depression, both positive and negative. Rita Dove's poetry was beautiful but a little beyond me. I think I need more practice reading poetry. (Any suggestions on where to start? I'm a little lost with poetry.) A World Without Princes was unexpected and well done, I thought. I like the symmetry of the endings between the first book and the second book. I intend to purchase Yoga for Runners and I loved A Breast Cancer Alphabet.
I counted up the books I have left to read on my shelf the other day. First, I organized them by type based on my current reading strategy (five books a month from five different categories with the extra book club book each month). I have enough classics to last me a year, enough fiction to last me more than a year, about half a year's worth of both children's fiction and nonfiction and three or four month's worth of history or biography.
The only book from my shelf in May was The Forgotten Man. My nonfiction and book club books for June will come from the library. I hope to pick the other four from my shelf. Which sounds hopelessly boring and not summer fun at all.
I had a poor showing this month. I've been concentrating on other things. Even so, according to Goodreads I'm three books ahead of schedule for my yearly goal. Yes, I'm awesome.
- The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes
- A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani
- A Breast Cancer Alphabet by Madhulika Sikka
- Selected Poems by Rita Dove
- Yoga for Runners by Christine Felstead
The Forgotten Man was my favorite. I am not a fan of Roosevelt and someone needs to rewrite the history books to show an accurate portrayal of how he affected the depression, both positive and negative. Rita Dove's poetry was beautiful but a little beyond me. I think I need more practice reading poetry. (Any suggestions on where to start? I'm a little lost with poetry.) A World Without Princes was unexpected and well done, I thought. I like the symmetry of the endings between the first book and the second book. I intend to purchase Yoga for Runners and I loved A Breast Cancer Alphabet.
I counted up the books I have left to read on my shelf the other day. First, I organized them by type based on my current reading strategy (five books a month from five different categories with the extra book club book each month). I have enough classics to last me a year, enough fiction to last me more than a year, about half a year's worth of both children's fiction and nonfiction and three or four month's worth of history or biography.
The only book from my shelf in May was The Forgotten Man. My nonfiction and book club books for June will come from the library. I hope to pick the other four from my shelf. Which sounds hopelessly boring and not summer fun at all.
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