A reader of this blog recently wrote to ask me how I would describe my perfect reading nook. Being a writer, she assumed I must also love to read. And I do! She described her own perfect place, which intrigued me. But when I went to respond to her, I realized I couldn’t identify just one spot. It could be:
My Bed: under the warmth of my down comforter reading a great novel in the soft light of my reading lamp.
My Kitchen Table: with my morning newspaper and a steaming cup of coffee.
My Front Porch: sitting in our Adirondack chair catching up on my magazines and waving at the neighbors as they walk by.
My Study: in my comfy, green recliner next to the bay window with my overly cluttered bookshelves behind me.
My Office: devouring the hundreds of books I use to research my World War II novels.
My Bathtub: on the rare occasion I have time to soak away my worries.
My Exercise Bike: because reading helps the time fly.
My Big, Blue Couch: in my family room at the end of a long day, when all I want to do is shut off my overworked mind.
I was talking to a writer friend once who explained how she uses four chairs when producing her work. One chair is where she reads. Another is where she goes to do research. Another is at her desk where she sits to write. Another is a chair set aside just for proofing her work. As she moves locations, she triggers different parts of her creative mind.
I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says, “A room without books is like a body without a soul,” a quote from Marcus Tullius Cicero. I would take this one step further and say, “A room without art is a like body without a soul.” Music, literature, and art should surround us at all times.
So here is my answer to my reader’s question: wherever and however we engage with art is the best place to do it!
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