My Dream Home

My dream home includes a central room with floor to ceiling bookshelves on all walls. In the middle of the room, there’s the most comfortable chair in the world. Beside the chair is the lamp, with the bulb at the perfect angle and emitting the perfect intensity of light for reading. There’s also a small table. I’m sitting in the chair, reading, my favorite activity.

Sometimes there’s a cat purring of my lap. Other times, a dog lies sleeping at my feet. Depending on how I feel, there’s either a mug of hot chocolate or a snifter of brandy on the table, within easy reach. Most of the time, there’ll be string music softly playing—piped in, of course, since I won’t give up book space for a sound system.

My dream home has the usual complement of other rooms—kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc. I have no idea what they look like, because I’ll spend only the minimum amount of time in them. I’ll be in my reading room, enjoying my books, my music, and my animals.

Sometimes I Surprise Myself!

In my early 30s I became acquainted with a woman about twice my age who shared my love of reading. In talking with her, I learned that she primarily read non-fiction, and was avid about learning new things. With the arrogance of youth, I wondered why, since she was retired, and therefore "old," with no practical (meaning income-producing) way to apply that knowledge.

Now that I’m about her age, I’ve found that all I want to read is non-fiction, and that I just can’t seem to get my fill of learning something new. I now understand that people don’t have to "do" something with their knowledge, that there is great pleasure in simply discovering new information or expanding existing information.

I still enjoy fiction, although my tastes have changed dramatically over the years, but I’ll nearly always chose non-fiction first. Some of it is lightweight, and some of it forces me to really study what the author is saying. I’m very eclectic, reading from an extensive selection of authors, philosophies, and fields.

I suppose in a way that I’m looking for answers, although I’ve not formulated any serious questions. I think, though, that most of it is a matter of curiosity, of wanting to know as much as I can about everything. The older I get, the more I realize how little I really know, despite having lived a full life, with a variety of experiences.