State your View!
by Suzie Grant
And no we won’t be delving into politics, religion or even philosophy. We get enough of that stuff on the news. Up until last year I lived in a tiny two bedroom apartment with a view of the parking lot seen here. It was dull, drab, and I hated to sit on the porch because I felt like everyone was watching me. So it never got a lot of use by me at all. But last October we moved into a little larger two bedroom apartment on the first floor with a larger back porch than what we had before and can I just say what a difference it’s made. I spend my morning coffee outside on the back porch and listen to the birds. At night my husband and I sit on the porch and listen to the frogs and owls. It’s a completely different setting than the one in the city. Don’t get me wrong city life has its advantages and though we’re still technically in the city, we’re far enough out that we can actually really see the wildlife.
I saw a family of deer the other day! I was so excited to see a female with two young fawns just outside my door! It’s been well over six years since I’ve been that close to deer so you can imagine my surprise. We have a cute little mocking bird that sits on the tree next to the woodshed outside of our door and pecks away every morning. I love the tempo he makes. And a frog jumped all the way up from the creek to our back porch just yesterday! I tried not to squeal like a little girl but it was tempting lol.
So I’ve found my new haven for reading. Once I started writing seriously years ago, it seemed that I’d stopped reading. I could never find enough time in the day to read. It frustrated me because that was the reason I started to write in the first place. Reading was such an integral part of my upbringing that I felt as if I’d lost my best friend.
And then I moved here. One day, weeks ago I grabbed my kindle and sat outside on the porch to enjoy the peace and quiet of the day to read. I lost all track of time and before I knew it, night had fallen like a shroud of mist around me. I realized I was squinting in the semi-darkness and I was forced to take my book inside to finish. I discovered something that day. The reason I had stopped reading wasn’t due to lack of time, it was lack of comfort. My stressful life in the city, work, kids, school and then coming home to be mommy, all of this, with no place inside the house to unwind drove my love of reading out the door.
I needed to de-stress my life and find someplace I could just relax. It was difficult in a tiny apartment with a view of the parking lot where a group of teenage boys hang out on a daily basis banging their loud music. And inside the house was just as bad with the TV running nonstop, and multiple bodies (two of them teens) going in and out of the house at all hours of the day made relaxing in any way shape or form, nonexistent. So I’m here to state my view— now that I have one— and reacquaint myself with reading. I discovered that in order to get in the mood for reading, it’s very similar for setting the stage for “romance.” You need to relax, unwind, and take a breath. So I’ve rearranged my porch, bought myself a nice “reading” chair and I have a wonderful place to enjoy good cup of Jo along with a great many books!
I am so ecstatic to be back in my reading world, rediscovering my favorite authors as well as enjoying some many new faces. It’s been a blessing all around to have moved into my new place but mostly because I remember why I started writing in the first place and I think that has given me back “the magic” of writing. You know that wonderful little thrill you get as the story unfolds right before your eyes. For a minute there it was becoming a chore or a job, but now my writing has that something special in it. And I think we all need to take some time to enjoy “the view” once in awhile. So state your view. Where do you discover the magic of reading? In a favorite reading chair? On your porch? Maybe in the bathtub? And tell me what are you reading now? Me? I’m currently reading Zoe Archer’s Warrior and loving it. What about you?
by Suzie Grant
And no we won’t be delving into politics, religion or even philosophy. We get enough of that stuff on the news. Up until last year I lived in a tiny two bedroom apartment with a view of the parking lot seen here. It was dull, drab, and I hated to sit on the porch because I felt like everyone was watching me. So it never got a lot of use by me at all. But last October we moved into a little larger two bedroom apartment on the first floor with a larger back porch than what we had before and can I just say what a difference it’s made. I spend my morning coffee outside on the back porch and listen to the birds. At night my husband and I sit on the porch and listen to the frogs and owls. It’s a completely different setting than the one in the city. Don’t get me wrong city life has its advantages and though we’re still technically in the city, we’re far enough out that we can actually really see the wildlife.
I saw a family of deer the other day! I was so excited to see a female with two young fawns just outside my door! It’s been well over six years since I’ve been that close to deer so you can imagine my surprise. We have a cute little mocking bird that sits on the tree next to the woodshed outside of our door and pecks away every morning. I love the tempo he makes. And a frog jumped all the way up from the creek to our back porch just yesterday! I tried not to squeal like a little girl but it was tempting lol.
So I’ve found my new haven for reading. Once I started writing seriously years ago, it seemed that I’d stopped reading. I could never find enough time in the day to read. It frustrated me because that was the reason I started to write in the first place. Reading was such an integral part of my upbringing that I felt as if I’d lost my best friend.
And then I moved here. One day, weeks ago I grabbed my kindle and sat outside on the porch to enjoy the peace and quiet of the day to read. I lost all track of time and before I knew it, night had fallen like a shroud of mist around me. I realized I was squinting in the semi-darkness and I was forced to take my book inside to finish. I discovered something that day. The reason I had stopped reading wasn’t due to lack of time, it was lack of comfort. My stressful life in the city, work, kids, school and then coming home to be mommy, all of this, with no place inside the house to unwind drove my love of reading out the door.
I needed to de-stress my life and find someplace I could just relax. It was difficult in a tiny apartment with a view of the parking lot where a group of teenage boys hang out on a daily basis banging their loud music. And inside the house was just as bad with the TV running nonstop, and multiple bodies (two of them teens) going in and out of the house at all hours of the day made relaxing in any way shape or form, nonexistent. So I’m here to state my view— now that I have one— and reacquaint myself with reading. I discovered that in order to get in the mood for reading, it’s very similar for setting the stage for “romance.” You need to relax, unwind, and take a breath. So I’ve rearranged my porch, bought myself a nice “reading” chair and I have a wonderful place to enjoy good cup of Jo along with a great many books!
I am so ecstatic to be back in my reading world, rediscovering my favorite authors as well as enjoying some many new faces. It’s been a blessing all around to have moved into my new place but mostly because I remember why I started writing in the first place and I think that has given me back “the magic” of writing. You know that wonderful little thrill you get as the story unfolds right before your eyes. For a minute there it was becoming a chore or a job, but now my writing has that something special in it. And I think we all need to take some time to enjoy “the view” once in awhile. So state your view. Where do you discover the magic of reading? In a favorite reading chair? On your porch? Maybe in the bathtub? And tell me what are you reading now? Me? I’m currently reading Zoe Archer’s Warrior and loving it. What about you?
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