By Cathy Baker @DiAnnMills
This week Cathy Baker @CathyBaker is my guest blogger.
Do you have the perfect reading spot?
“The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.” —Ursula K. Le Guin
You’re handed a book by your favorite author and told to take the afternoon off. Sure, you could go home, fluff up the pillows and nestle under the covers before escaping to another world. But trying a new place to read exposes our senses to new sights and sounds, some of which can enhance our reading time, like:
(1) The library. To change things up a bit, go with the intent of reading as many short reads as possible during your allotted time. Not “let’s hurry through this book” type of intent, but as one who desires to immerse themselves in short stories, narrative essays, poetry, etc.
Take a small journal to jot down words and sentences that speak to you. Or visit the library with a favorite novel, settle in for the afternoon, and surround yourself with colorful spines coated in sweet musk, a scent only old pages could muster.
(2) Traveling, try the hotel’s lobby. As a reader, you’re not cooped up in a room and the surroundings offer new sights you might miss otherwise. Most have comfortable seating with coffee and other goodies available throughout the day.
And if you also happen to be a writer, this location is a petri dish for character studies.
(3) Pack a picnic. Tuck your book, blanket, favorite beverage, and healthy snack (sugar leads to the drowsies) into a picnic basket and head to a safe, shady place. Snap that blanket in the breeze and let the reading feast begin. Sure, you can always lie down on your blanket to read, but if you want to add a tad of nostalgia to your setting, find a large tree to lean on.
(4) Create a space in your backyard. It can be as simple as adding a garden bench beneath a shady spot, on a deck, or in a quiet corner by the bird feeders. Whose reading wouldn’t be enhanced by a serenade?
(5) Prepare a reading corner in your home. Place a few books you’re currently enjoying, a light blanket, reading glasses, bookmarks and pens inside a basket. Having a ready-made space encourages us to take regular reading breaks, and who hasn’t fancied a space to call their own?
Cathy’s Tiny House
A longtime dream of mine to build a tiny space to read in the Carolina Foothills has come to fruition. My Tiny House has other benefits too! It will have an eight-foot-long desk, offering ample space to write, host online Bible studies, record podcasts, and invite others to join me for a writing day.
In addition to the desk, a raised reading nook will claim a corner of its own. Stocked with vintage chenille spreads and plentiful pillows, this twin-sized bed area will be the perfect place to break from writing, especially on days when rain pelts the tin roof overhead.
Do you have a favorite reading spot? Do tell!
Cathy Baker is an award-winning writer and author of Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Beach as well as Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Mountains. Cathy is a Hope*Writer and Bible teacher who has taught numerous studies and workshops over the past twenty-five years. Her work has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Upper Room, and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family. She and her husband, Brian, are currently building a writing studio. To connect with Cathy, visit The Tiny House on the Hill @ https://www.cathybaker.org or find her on Instagram @CathySBaker.
Thanks Cathy! Be blessed, my friends,
