Now my babies are all grown. But even without kids to care for, it’s easy for any of us to claim no time for reading: harder to look at what we’re doing instead, and why all of it is presumed to be more worthy. Some people really do work double shifts, or are otherwise without access to read. But many of us are lucky enough to do some things for fun. Reading for me is one of those things. Besides, when I don’t read enough, I get a gnawing sense of dis-ease. It’s an appetite that isn’t sated by other things.
First, I block two days off on my calendar and refuse to make any commitments. Next, I pick out a book from my reading list. On day one, I tidy up loose ends around the house, just enough to keep things stable, and then I make a big pot of soup, a double batch, and it will taste even better on the second night.
While my soup simmers, I get comfortable and start reading. For two days reading will not be in the background, but the centerpiece of my life.
Think mystery, not mastery. I will tend to any emergency that might come up, but I won’t make any unnecessary phone calls, read email, or go on social media. I will read, and take breaks, go for a walk, or gaze out the window on rainy days. A short nap perhaps, and then a return to reading. For two days reading is my practice, my mediation, and my highest priority.
On a recent Reading Vacation, I read a memoir recommended by a close friend, Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett, and I could not put the book down. I felt myself a part of her writer-world, imagined my way into her early writer years at Sarah Lawrence, as one of her friends, dreaming myself back, what if I had applied for Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony? And why didn’t I apply? I was in reading heaven, and when the book ended the journey led me to Lucy Grealy’s memoir, Autobiography of a Face. It was heavy, but I’m glad for the insight gained, as I’m the mother of a son who dealt with the aftermath of childhood cancer, chemo and radiation, but that’s another story.
I love reading memoirs, and recently I also read Finding Freedom by Erin French. But sometimes I turn to fiction. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. And with my focus still centered on home, rooting in, organizing, decluttering and décor, this summer I read Making Space, Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin, and it might be the best book I've read yet in this genre.
Finally, reading is good citizenship. Once you start reading one thing leads to another. There are diverse book clubs to join, along with the Goodreads community online.
Usually, I learn something to carry back into my worldly life. If you ask me, that’s reason enough to make Reading Vacations high priority.
Sometimes, I have the luxury of having a Reading Vacation alone, with the house all to myself. It doesn’t happen very often. After dinner, the long evening of midsummer reading stretches ahead of me. In the morning I wake up aware of a breeze coming through the wide windows, sunlight washing the walls, and hear the red shoulder hawk and cormorants answer their daily song. I make a cup of coffee, grab my book, and dive back into reading. It gives me the sensation of traveling, in community, on vacation, and far from my worldly responsibilities.
When my Reading Vacation day ends, when the question of dinner comes up, I look forward to my already made, ready to heat up, hearty bowl of soup.
Taco Soup
1 pound ground turkey, 1 small onion, chopped. 2 cloves garlic, minced. 4 cups chicken broth.
I 15-oz can of beans (Bean Trio, a mix of pinto, kidney and black beans), 1 15-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, cumin and chili powder. I like to mix a blend of New Mexico, Chipotle, Ancho chili powder.
Sauté the turkey, chopped onion, and garlic in a large soup pot. Add chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chilies, cumin and chili powder. I like it spicy, so I add a lot of chili and cumin.
Simmer the soup for at least an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with warm tortillas, fresh cilantro, grated cheese or sour cream (optional) and plenty of salsa.
