Another Way To Enjoy Books

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE to read. My idea of a perfect day includes some time curled up by myself with a good book. Unfortunately one of things I suffer with all too frequently is vertigo, which for me is made worse by reading. Sometimes an attack will only last a few hours, but other times they last for weeks, or even months. Those times have been trying in many ways, but especially because not being able to read is like a punishment for me. Of course books on tape, then CD and now download able to IPODS and MP3 players have come into existence, but they weren't around when I first started having this problem, and as much as I enjoy them, it isn't the same as being able to read a book myself.

I love everything about books, the feel of one in my hands, the cover art, the different fonts, the crisp pages, even the smell!! However I am grateful that these other options have become available for those times when I can't read a book for myself. I just discovered another wonderful option that I wanted to share with all of you. I was at the library yesterday and was walking past the books on CD section when I noticed something different. I stopped to investigate and saw that they have "playaway" audiobooks. Not sure what it was, I picked one up to investigate. This is the description from the cover "Playaway is the simplest way to listen to an audiobook on the go. Each Playaway comes pre-loaded with an audiobook, and batteries are included. Simply plug in earphones and enjoy. No cassettes or CD's. No downloads. there's nothing left to do but listen." What a terrific idea! They are like tiny little MP3 players and my library had an impressive selection of titles to choose from. I could learn a foreign language, read the latest bestseller or find almost any non-fiction subject that might interest me. I had no idea these existed! I knew I could download books from the Internet to my IPOD, but of course there is a charge, and it takes time, and sometimes the narrators are better than others. This is all done and ready to go, all I need to provide are the earphones, and since I can get them at the library, they are free!

Maybe you already know about them, but if you don't, they are definitely worth a look. I don't ever want to discourage people from actually reading books, I still think it is the best way to enjoy a story and to exercise your own imagination, but if health or time is an issue, this is a great tool! I immediately thought of what a terrific gift these would be for someone in the hospital or home bound. I had a dear friend who had to have surgery on her eyes for macular degeneration and wasn't allowed to lift her head for several weeks after surgery. This would have been a God-send, and a much more pleasant way to pass the time than just listening to the TV.

Anyway, to me, it was just one more reminder that no matter how "limited" I think I get by my illness, there is always a way around things. I am grateful that I have a library that carries these, as I imagine it could get expensive to buy them all the time. Please consider looking into them for yourself or as a gift for someone else! Happy Holidays!

Musings on Tree Houses

As a child I was fascinated with tree houses.  Since I never had one, I think the love affair began with my favorite childhood book, "Little Miss Suzy", the premise of which was a squirrel who lived in the top of an old oak tree.  The image of falling asleep each night looking at the stars, with the wind gently rocking her to sleep, enchanted me.  Oh I climbed trees as a kid and spent a fair amount of time sitting in them, watching the world go by from my secret perch, but I never had an actual, honest-to-goodness tree house.

Recently I have become infatuated with the idea again.  This past winter I moved into a new apartment.  It's located on a rather busy street, not exactly the view one would choose.  But I noticed that from my fourth floor perch, if I sit back and look out the window, there are many lovely, old trees.   I couldn't wait for spring when the foliage would appear again, and I could sit and look out into the treetops.  It seemed like a grown up version of my dream childhood tree house.  Spring came, and with it the leaves filling out the trees, but instead of sitting back and enjoying the view, I found myself annoyed by the sounds of traffic from the street below and the beautiful spring days turned into the dog days of summer.  I closed the blinds to keep the sun from warming an already hot apartment.  Today, however, I stopped to notice the fully foliated treetops, and took a moment to enjoy the view.  I found that my breathing slowed down to a pleasantly relaxed pace and I thought back on those childhood summers so long ago.  Why had I closed off this one feature of the  apartment that I actually enjoy?

That got me to thinking about growing up, or worse, growing old.  Why are we all in such a rush to get there, whatever "there" is for each of us?  When do we stop having that youthful joy in the little things that make us happy?  And would the world be a better place if we all took a few minutes a day to allow ourselves to enjoy our own personal "tree houses"?  Sometimes I look at technology and I am amazed at all we can accomplish in our brave, new 24/7 world.  Other times, I feel a longing sadness for the simplicity of summers long gone, where evenings were spent sitting on the front stoop passing time with our neighbors, or enjoying the silence that allows us to slow down long enough to hear what we actually think and feel, to experience nature and other human beings as more than an annoyance to be endured.

I am as guilty as the next person; I own a cell phone, several IPODS, a computer and multiple TV's including DVD-R service.  But it all makes me wonder if maybe Miss Suzy, the little grey squirrel from the book, had it right all along, taking life slowly -- After all, wouldn't it be wonderful to fall asleep not to the sounds of the television, but to the sight of the night sky and the feeling of the gentle wind rocking us to sleep?  Maybe, just maybe, we could throw out that Ambien, and sleep the gentle, restful sleep once again that babies and children seem to.