Magpie tales # 10

Do you like to read? Books, I mean? I like to read books. I also like to read magazines and newspapers, to say nothing of blogs and facebook and so on and so forth. But it's with books that it all started for me. My fondness for books preceded the television age in my house.

This past weekend I started and finished a book, and when I went to enter it in my "Shelfari" list, I was informed that 'til then I'd read no books this year. To be honest, Ive started a few but haven't finished them as yet; haven't taken the time.

Time is a funny thing isn't it? When we don't get to things that we wanted, wished, said we would or should, we find it easy to say: I didn't have time. Baloney! We take the time to do things we really want to do and we waste a fair amount of time to boot. At least I do, Maybe you're one of those people who has mastered the art of time management and have it all planned and scheduled out so as to get the maximum accomplished, but then you wouldn't be here reading this drivel now would you?

Growing up, I did most of my leisure reading at the kitchen table, usually while eating breakfast. I remember reading Tarzan books and Bomba the jungle boy while eating my Wheaties in the mornings before school.

The kitchen table is still my favorite place to read. This weekend my wife went off to Lake Placid to help a friend celebrate her "55th" birthday. Which left me at the kitchen table for most of the weekend. (It rained off and on all day Saturday, precluding any gardening efforts on my part.) I thought that I'd make good use of the time to write an impressive piece for Willow's Magpie prompt this week. Blank, blank, blank. I recalled a caveat of the many books and articles I've read over time that suggest the best way to prepare to write is to read. Since my creative juices were at a stand still I decided to follow that advice.

In my den there are many books, including too many stacks of unread books piled on the floor. as I perused the area my eyes settled on the book "Rules for Old Men Waiting." That looked interesting and coincidentally had a photo of a pocket watch on the cover. The photo prompt for this week's Magpie is a pocket/pendant watch. Atop the pile beside the one where sat "Rules" was the book,"play it forward" which if I recall correctly is about taking time to give some of your time to someone in need of caring attention.

So there you have it: I read a book, cover to cover, Thought about TIME, and wrote a blog piece.

Now I'll spend some time doing my Monday morning exercise routine and get myself ready to spend some time caring for others.

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