Staci here, thinking about all the different types of passion. There’s my passion for writing, the passion for life, the passion for love. And of course, there’s my lifelong passion for reading. I’ll read anything: the indecipherable assembly instructions for my kids’ toys (always good for a laugh), the side effects insert that comes with medication (always good for a scare), the posters on my dentist’s ceiling (always good for a distraction). I loved reading as a kid, and that love has never gone away. One of my favorite jobs was working part time at my college library, wandering among the stacks, shelving returned books.
My day always feels slightly off-kilter if I don’t read the newspaper before lunch. When the kids are playing in the backyard, nothing makes me happier than sitting on the patio bench, book in hand. I like to tell myself that all that reading while “watching” the kids is good for them. If they see me reading all the time, they’ll think it’s the most fun thing ever and learn to love reading themselves. Or maybe I’m justifying my reading so I don’t feel guilty about ignoring the kids.
I realize that not everyone loves reading. My husband barely reads the menu at a restaurant. Instead, he prefers watching TV or playing video games (not in the restaurant, of course, unless it’s a sports bar). My sister reads occasional books but likes to listen to music or surf the web. It’s really a question of how you want to spend your free time, and for me, there’s nothing more relaxing on a Sunday afternoon than to sit on the couch and immerse myself in someone else’s story, preferably one with a murder.
Why murder? I think because puzzles are another passion of mine. When I’m not reading, I’m usually working on a puzzle book, preferably a cryptogram or sudoku. That may explain why the popularity of murder mysteries has endured all these decades. Murder mysteries are the best of both worlds: an entertaining story with a puzzle to solve. What more could you ask for?
There's a great cartoon that fits me and my husband, and maybe your situation. Man and woman sitting in back to back recliners. He has a remote, facing TV; she has a book, facing bookshelves.
It's better as a graphic, but you probably get the point!
Posted by: Camille Minichino | September 24, 2011 at 02:37 PM
Ha! Yes -- that definitely sounds like us!
Posted by: Staci | September 24, 2011 at 03:31 PM
What more indeed! :-) I like crossword puzzles myself. It's great that there are so many different types for people to choose from. As for spouses and reading: My husband goes for audio books, while I lean toward the "dead tree" variety myself. Something for everyone!
Posted by: Ann Parker | September 24, 2011 at 09:56 PM