9

I have used up more than
20,000 days waiting to see
what the next would bring.

Last year, I bought a book of poetry, a conversation between Ted Kooser and his friend Jim Harrison. The book is a correspondence in poetry between the two authors. I started talking about Kooser and then I got all sentimental and pulled a book down. It is full of vignettes of wisdom, sparks of thought. The quote above is one.

I wonder how many days I have wasted waiting for tomorrow. I remember spending hours in my room staring out the window, listening to music in my youth, imagining a life that was different. These days, especially when it snows, I can't wait to leave work because somehow I feel that that is when life begins. I need to be reminded that sometimes when I am waiting for later or the next day, I miss what is happening around me. I don't see what I should see.

8

Last month, I sat in Barnes and Noble, a bit early for a meeting with the friend who helped us plan our wedding.  I wandered to the second floor and found my way to what was the poetry section. The poetry section had moved, to my dismay. Ted Kooser is one of my favorite poets and one of his poems has always made the art of reading a book of poetry in the book store quite a romantic experience. Yet, I did not find the books I was looking for, but instead books on design. Amazing that one section was replaced with another that sparked such an interest in me. I eyed the choices for a while and settled on a book. I even settled on taking it back downstairs with me to read in the coffee shop as I waited for my friend and my now husband to arrive.

I find reading a book in a bookstore that you know that you are not going to buy quite interesting.

Thus I direct you to read Selecting a Reader.