Friday, August 5, 2011

The Perfect Spot

I am a creature of habit. I gravitate toward the same spots. Perhaps it's because I have warm, fuzzy associations with those places, or perhaps it's because I've finally molded the seat to the contours of my bum. Either way, two posts at the start of this week made me think about my special reading spots through the years. The first was the fabulous "Summer Reading" post right here on Fantastic Spatula. The next came one day later on Beyond Her Book, a Publishers Weekly blog, that asked, "What's your favorite reading spot?"

In my early years, one of my favorite reading spots was in the swing on Grandma's front porch. I was small enough to lie on the seat with my feet propped against the chains. A little push on the chain would start the swing swaying, not enough to cause motion sickness, but just enough to get a slight air movement against my sticky skin. Oh, and in the late evening, sun slanted over my right shoulder and hit the page, making it golden.

Each major life change brought a new location to read. In college I curled up in the UVA gardens, my own hortus conclusus as I enjoyed Chaucer, Donne, and Beroul. Now there are special places in our home: Adam's grandfather's recliner; the sofa stacked with pillows and a throw my in-laws gave me a couple Christmases ago; the armchair in our office that gets perfect morning sun; and our bed. This bed is a thing of beauty. We were fortunate enough to design the bed and get it handcrafted by a talented woodworker back in Halifax. When we gawked at the completed bed in his shop, he pointed out that the headboard is wide enough to fit hardbacks. We didn't even ask for that feature! It's a joy to find another bibliophile who understands the importance of crawling between the sheets with a good book and reading until you have just enough energy to raise your hand and slide the book away for the night.

Maybe these spots are special because they ground me in places of family and familiarity as my mind wanders through the adventures I read. Or maybe it's just about the comfy bum.

What do you think? Do you have special spots for reading? If so, why do you think they're significant to you? 

2 comments:

  1. Just about any place will do for me, I like an oversize chair, orange recliners heheheh, an good light.
    Moskeeto Jack.

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  2. oh yeah i can read any where but i find myself when i go home after work reading in the chair in the corner of my room. if i go outside its to a specific part in a specific park.

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