PDR: Public Display of Reading
I feel like this might be a spicy take: I really don't like reading in public.
I do it. But I don't like it.
There's something very vulnerable about letting yourself get lost in a story while other people could very well be staring at you.
Yesterday I was at the ophthalmologist's office with two kids waiting for 40 minutes, you bet I pulled out a book. Everyone (including my 7-year-old) was watching Love It or List It reruns on the oversized TVs mounted on the walls. I still felt self-conscious.
Once a week I spend a few hours at Barnes and Noble. I sit in the cafe with broccoli cheddar quiche and a coffee. After catching up on the 1,000,000 emails I get each week from the kids' schools, I crack open a book and read for a bit. Are my lips moving? How is everyone else able to drink coffee and read without spilling all over themselves?
And of course, at baseball practice and soccer games, I have been known to fill any downtime with a few minutes of reading.
But, I can't really get comfortable. I prefer laying in my bed or curling up on the sofa to sitting on bleachers with a book.
I find myself reading and eavesdropping which means I'll just have to reread that sentence/paragraph/page again. I have a bad habit of hearing every conversation happening around me whether I'm trying to focus on a book or I'm talking with my family over a dinner. #creeper
Give me my own home over Starbucks any day! I'll make the coffee and snacks. I can wear comfy pants and not worry about shoes. No one is looking at me while my eyes track the words across the page or I dribble coffee down my chest accidentally...again.
It seems, though, that all the cool kids love leaving their houses and reading in the big, wide world. It seems this way because of all the cute bookstagram photos.
Am I being misled by social media (it wouldn't be the first time)? Am I the only one who reads publicly under duress, purely for the occasional photo?
I do it. But I don't like it.
There's something very vulnerable about letting yourself get lost in a story while other people could very well be staring at you.
Yesterday I was at the ophthalmologist's office with two kids waiting for 40 minutes, you bet I pulled out a book. Everyone (including my 7-year-old) was watching Love It or List It reruns on the oversized TVs mounted on the walls. I still felt self-conscious.
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| I read at LOTS of doctors' offices |
Once a week I spend a few hours at Barnes and Noble. I sit in the cafe with broccoli cheddar quiche and a coffee. After catching up on the 1,000,000 emails I get each week from the kids' schools, I crack open a book and read for a bit. Are my lips moving? How is everyone else able to drink coffee and read without spilling all over themselves?
 |
| all. the. time. |
And of course, at baseball practice and soccer games, I have been known to fill any downtime with a few minutes of reading.
 |
| me at the ball field |
I find myself reading and eavesdropping which means I'll just have to reread that sentence/paragraph/page again. I have a bad habit of hearing every conversation happening around me whether I'm trying to focus on a book or I'm talking with my family over a dinner. #creeper
Give me my own home over Starbucks any day! I'll make the coffee and snacks. I can wear comfy pants and not worry about shoes. No one is looking at me while my eyes track the words across the page or I dribble coffee down my chest accidentally...again.
It seems, though, that all the cool kids love leaving their houses and reading in the big, wide world. It seems this way because of all the cute bookstagram photos.
 |
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