What Are You Reading?

I’m still in the grip of the French thing.  Remember “Lessons from Madame Chic?” I’ve written about some of the things I learned from that book, some of the things I want to emulate – keeping a pared-down closet, choosing quality over quantity in regards to food and possessions, enriching your mind as opposed to sitting, zombie-like, in front of the TV.  One of the things the author said was that, when in a group, the French are likely to ask “What are you reading?” as opposed to “What do you do?”  The implication is that of course you’re reading a book.

From childhood through my early 30s, there was never a time when I wouldn’t have an answer to that.  Then came the kids, and reading – at least reading whole books – became a luxury. But the kids are grown, and what’s my excuse now? I was an English major, and it’s embarrassing when someone asks me if I’ve read any good books lately, and I have to search the cranial archives.  See, I work a lot, and I’ve got this blog, and this 1 ½ hour walking commitment, and I’m tired a lot. 

But I want to be like the French, and there is ALWAYS time to read a book, so I’ve made yet another pact with myself.  At least two books a month.  Think how much smarter I’ll be after reading 24 books a year.  I just finished “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich.  I remember reading the reviews when it came out, ten or so years ago, and I always thought it sounded interesting.  She’s a journalist, and went undercover working as a motel maid, a waitress, a Walmart clerk and a nursing home attendant to see how a blue-collar working person makes it on minimum wage.  The answer is, barely. It’s a real eye-opener, and – so much for not having time to read – I finished it in three days.  Try it. You’ll come away not only with a lot more compassion and respect for the working poor, but if you’re lucky enough to have an education and some decent work experience to draw on, you’ll have a renewed sense of gratitude for your own relative ease.

So, I’m feeling quite full of myself after today’s gym outing.  It was a long day and I guess I was a little more spaced out than usual at the end of it, and halfway to the gym, I realized I’d forgotten my towel and my water bottle. (At least I remembered my shoes). Worst of all, as I tried to fire up “Fresh Air” on my iphone, I got nothing.  No sound.  The graphics were doing what they were supposed to be doing, but no sound.  Where is Aimee when I really need her?  I fought off the rising irritation, reminded myself that I was in a comfortable, air-conditioned setting, and I COULD DO THIS.  And I did.  My goal was to do 4.2 (remember the .8 walk to and from the gym) in an hour, and today I overshot by just two minutes!  It’s fun having all the information right in front of you.  I play a little game with myself, turning the speed up to 4.5 and running for a few minutes to make up some time, then bringing it down to 4.1, but jacking up the incline to see the calories burn faster.  Today I burned 396 calories.  I could definitely get used to this.

My butt hurts.  I have done some serious incline work for two days in a row, and I’m just now starting to feel it.  Tomorrow I’m looking forward to a nice long trail walk with Banks.