The Pleasure of Reading...

Today I opened a book and read. Nothing unusual about that except I read for as long as I wanted. The self imposed chores were put aside, and I read. Of course I'm still not feeling great, coughing and a tissue box by my side, so my chores are pretty much taking a backseat to recuperating, but what a joy to be able to sit down, without guilt, open a book and read.

You may think it strange to feel such pleasure in the simple act of reading, but as much as I enjoy the practice, it generally takes a backseat to other "more productive" things. And that 9 to 5 job, which really was 7:30am to 4 or 5pm or whatever, was a big part of my "productive" day. But I'm retired now and grabbing a leisurely cup of coffee and sitting down to read while the wind and snow furiously whip around outside is a treat. More so because I use to work that "9 to 5 job" out there, in the freezing cold and deep snow, the sweltering heat and the dark of days. It wasn't all bad, there were wonderful days and wonderful people, but where to sneak in a page or two of reading was hard sometimes.

Absorbing each word at a leisurely pace, feeling the page as I turn it to the next, closing my eyes for a moment and imagining myself standing by my favorite character... all because I'm retired now and get to enjoy, the pleasure of reading...

There will be plenty of things to occupy my time in the next few months, and packing is among them, but I am going to make sure that taking some me time and opening the pages of a book will be one of those things occupying my time, because time is fleeting and I don't want to miss out on the pleasure of reading anymore.