My Kindle and me

Well about a month ago I decided to do the dirty deed and buy a Kindle.  Yes, I know.  True book lovers still want to feel the paper, turn a real page and smell the book etc. I still enjoy those aspects of reading and I can't imagine not having the pleasure of looking through a new cookbook and drooling over some great food photography.   But things change and you have to move on.  I've also learned a sad lesson recently; it's hard to find homes for old books. 

 

This lesson came about from inheriting the task of cleaning out my parents’ home.  No word of a lie, there were well over 500 books in that house.  My parents are from that generation that never threw anything out.  (Oh the stories I could tell.)  I have found a home for many of their loved and sometimes forgotten possessions, but books turned out to be a challenge, something I never would have imagined. 

 

It was easy to take some to a second hand book store, a seniors residence, a library and give some to friends.  But those books were only the tip of the iceberg.  Then there were the leather bound Condensed Readers Digests, apparently these have become the scourge of the earth - nobody wants them.   What do you do with old encyclopaedias, travel books, medical books?  All these books are too old to be of any real use and yet not old enough to be collectibles.  So do I keep them and maybe they become collectibles, or do I get rid of them now while I can?

 

Then there were the paperbacks that were bent and torn, printed over 10 years ago and had original price tags of less than $5.00.  They went into the Gasp!  recycling bin.  It physically hurt to do that but if I can’t find a home for these things, and I can’t keep everything, then recycling is a better answer than the garbage bin. 

 

Books have always seemed like old friends to me.  Some are always sitting on the shelf waiting for you to discover or re-discover them.  Some pique your interest, some educate, others entertain, some are annoying and some you wish you had never discovered, but there are variations and varieties to suit your every mood. 

 

So now that I have my Kindle, my children will be spared the daunting book disposal task. (I have other things planned for them - but that's another story.) Pressing delete is a lot simpler than running all over town in search of homes for orphaned books. Who knows, maybe one day we will be able to absorb a novel via some sort of osmotic process, but I don’t think I want to live that long.  I’m happy with my Kindle.

March 1, 2011

Profound realizations can materialize during the most mundane moments.  A few months ago I was spending a Saturday driving around doing errands.  Most of the errands were not for me but for my elderly parents and there was a growing resentment inside that my already short weekends were getting shorter as a direct result of these errands.  Between dashes in and out of the car I was listening to Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café radio show.  I think Stuart is one of the best storytellers around and he has the gift to make me laugh about and contemplate human nature.  On this particular morning he started talking about his father and some of his father’s habits and naturally that started me thinking about my parents.  I continued listening and suddenly felt like I had been slapped in the face.  Stuart nonchalantly threw in the remark that growing old isn’t for cowards.  Oh my god, when truth hits it hits hard.

An abrupt reality check occurred at that moment and my gripes started to seem very petty.  After all, I still have my independence and the ability “to do” for others.  My parents are dealing with the loss of independence along with many others losses.  Inevitable as these losses are they require strength and grace to accept, something which is innate to some and a struggle for others.

Insight is a wonderful gift, thank you for sharing Stuart.

February 28, 2011

A lot of my generation grew up being told that modesty is a virtue - no fanfare required.  So the idea of creating a blog just to express my opinion to a public that may or may not be interested is seemingly a blatant thing.  But a blog is a means to reach out and connect to people, possibly even help someone, without even knowing you have. 

This modest blog may at times seem out of step with today's world for those who live to text.  I want to comment, rant, and hopefully discuss and share things that are of interest to me and maybe of interest to others. 

I intend to share experiences, recipes, ideas, books, music and whatever else crosses my mind on any given day. 

Hopefully there won't be any naval gazing because that wouldn't be very modest :)