The Ambitious Pile

As you can imagine from my love of writing, I also love to read. I am also an anal expulsive personality, so I like to do a hundred things at once. Actually I hate to multitask, but I think of a hundred things at once and can't decide what to do first. That is an anal expulsive personality in a nutshell. Point being, most nights I get into bed with not one, not two, but approximately eight different reading materials with which to lull myself to sleep.

Last night's ambitious pile included: the NY Times, The Middle Place, the Bible (please, people, I was not planning on reading the whole thing, but maybe a proverb or two to make myself feel like I actually read the book on occasion), my journal (I realize this is more of a writing material than a reading one, although sometimes I review, say, September), my planner (to review my social life, aka "call Grandma"), and the newest Uncommon Goods catalog. Oh and a spiral notebook. And a textbook, but that was just to use as a hard surface to write on.

I went through my dog-eared pages of The Middle Place first, and wrote down the fantastic quotes in my spiral notebook. (Using the textbook as the hard surface.) Then I flipped through the catalog.

And then I fell asleep.

So if you're taking notes, I made it through about 1/3 of my pile of ambition. This is how it is every night. Yet I still lumber through my bedroom and various rooms of my house each night, gathering my items to build my ambitious pile. A thrill of reading excitement shoots through me with each pebble gathered, hastening me toward my nest to crack open the first one. Often I do a little process of elimination upon settling into the nest to decide what to read first. I hold up the catalog next to the newspaper and ask myself, "Do I feel like reading about international news or looking at creative items that I cannot afford to buy?" Set one aside and then weigh the novel against the remaining item. Sometimes it just comes down to eenie meenie miney mo. Seriously.

Currently it is 10:30 pm. I've had a pretty big day. Woke up tired to begin with, worked, drove in cold rain during rush hour to pick up my new running shoes, quickly read a chapter for small group Bible study, spent 2 hours discussing said chapter at Bible study followed by an hour of chit chat about boys, work, etc., and have just now arrived home to write this. I still have to listen to a track or two on the new Swell Season CD that just arrived in the mail (delicious tunes, folks, check 'em out), and eat. But you know what will likely follow all of that? Yet another ambitious pile. It's just a habit I am unwilling to break, Friends. What's yours?