Throughout all the COVID mess, I’ve been following travel bloggers and Instagrammers for their thoughts on the pandemic. And there’s one thing I’ve noticed that’s not mentioned: bathrooms. National attention was paid to the TP shortage but why is no one talking about how the pandemic affected access to bathrooms?!? Case in point: on a trip to Upper Peninsula Michigan in 2020, we were having trouble finding a roadside bathroom that had been maintained in the last century. Maybe that’s normal even during non-COVID time, but I’m guessing it was more likely the result of reduced staffing. Either way, I got desperate somewhere along Hwy 41. I thought I’d done well with my lightning speed and the long sleeve door opener method, but when I got in the car the stench had followed me. And I totally had a Seinfeld moment when in panic mode I told Eric “the stink is on me, it’s on me Jerry!!!”
This post is either going to land me on the hate list of all of my peers, or it will totally resonate with them. Either way, I must unburden my feelings. I have kept my silence far too long.
WHAT IF BOOKS ARE BAD FOR US?
There. I said it. Now let me explain myself…
I have loved reading since the moment I realized those symbols on the page actually meant something. Actually, no — my love of reading probably began while I was still in my mother’s womb, hearing her read to me. Growing up, the most effective behavior modification used by my mother was to take my books away (taking the Barbie dolls away was a close second). In high school, I would fake sick just so I could stay home to finish a book. Because let’s be honest, I wasn’t going to learn anything that day if all my thoughts were absorbed by whether or not Darcy and Elizabeth would get together!
Any of this sounding familiar?
So why on earth would this “I can’t survive without books” librarian pose such a question? Let me compare it to my second weakness — FOOD.
We all know what we eat can affect our health. There’s much debate about the details, but we DO know that it’s important to eat a variety of foods and it’s important to choose foods with nutritional value. Filling our bodies with only junk isn’t a good thing. We also know over-eating is a bad thing. This is where my book correlation comes in…
I AM ADDICTED TO BOOKS! AND NOT JUST ANY BOOKS — JUNK BOOKS!
I LOVE reading romance novels. Stories of debonair dukes, plundering pirates, sexy shapeshifters, femme fatales…I can’t get enough! I can easily read a book per day and realize I didn’t eat anything or even acknowledge my husband’s presence. I’ll admit to even being guilty of ignoring phone calls from my mother when caught in the thrall of a good book.
I know. I am SO going to Hell. I need an intervention.
Luckily, I have a very supportive family who understand that sometimes I just need to escape into the world of books. As long as I remember to come up for air often enough & keep the household intact, then we’re ok. I’m also lucky to have people in my life who challenge my mind, which prompts me to read things that stimulate my brain & broaden my perspective. When I find myself in a conversation & I can’t think of anything interesting to say, that’s usually my cue that literary stagnation has begun to set in. That’s when I look up “Best Nonfiction Books of the Year” or “What Would Bill Gates Read” & download the audiobook or podcast.
So I guess my answer is: Yes, books CAN be bad. But they can also be good. It’s all about balance.
Balance in WHAT we read: titles that make us THINK, that TEACH us something new, that give us a different PERSPECTIVE
Balance in the TIME we spend reading vs living: I’d rather EXPERIENCE life rather than read about it
Balance in our EXPECTATIONS: acknowledge that what we love in fiction isn’t always what we want in reality (a pirate would make a terrible husband, after all).
Reading is one of those joys that we never out live. Books can provide excitement, comfort, empathy, enlightenment, escape — whatever we may need. While I may have a few setbacks every now & then, I believe I’ve found that balance & I hope you do to.
What’s that, babe? You need me to do laundry because you’re out of clean underwear? Hold on, just a few more chapters…
I have long been frustrated by fruit. At least 50% of the fruit I purchase ends up in the trash. Sometimes I forget about it, but most often I am misled to believe that what looks like heaven on the outside turns out to be bitter or rotten on the inside. [I’m sure there’s a metaphor for exterior beauty somewhere in here.]
But seriously, what’s the secret to getting good fruit? I’ve been told to feel it, smell it, look at the coloring — but short of fondling produce & training to be a fruit whisperer, I just don’t get it.
Even at the most sacred of food meccas, the farmer’s market, I have been betrayed. “See those lovely strawberries? They’re worth top dollar because they’re from the strawberry capital!” WRONG! They’re bitter as hell.
“Oooh, succulent satsumas from my auntie’s yard, they’re always sweet” … Mmmhmm … except for the ones you gave me, which were mouth-puckering tart. Guess I’ll add some alcohol.
Why can’t all varieties of the same fruit taste the same? Can’t we clone fruit? [Oh wait, we already do that…and they’re STILL unpredictable!]
And don’t get me started on all the rules for storing fruit! So maybe I DID get lucky with those sweet blueberries…what now? Must I gorge myself on a pint of BBs before they mold in my fridge?
The most frustrating fruit of all happens to be my favorite — the avocado. My palms get sweaty & my heart races when I’m forced to select these healthy fat snacks. Most often, I make Eric pick them out because he has a better track record. But this just further demoralizes me because I’m left thinking, what is wrong with me? Did I somehow miss the domestic cooking gene entirely?
Guess I’ll just stick with bananas — they’ve never let me down.
