Posted on March 5, 2013
My mother grew up on a farm in South Carolina and she had some pretty interesting life experiences. One of them was riding a mule. Bareback. While simultaneously reading.
This proved semi-disastrous once when she blundered into a clothes line and ended up on her butt. But, by and large, Mom and her mule and her books were pretty much inseparable.
As a child I thought Mom had it made. I mean, she had a mule. And with a mule you could get from one place to another and read at the same time. I was busy pedaling a bike as a kid. You have to hold the handle bars and balance when riding a bike. You can’t read at the same time, more’s the pity.
So for most of my young life I did most of my reading in the big easy chair in the living room. It was big enough for me and the cat and a small friend. We’re talking the kind of easy chair you could curl up in. I also did a lot of reading in a hammock strung between two live oaks right behind my Uncle’s summer house on the Edisto River in South Carolina. So, as you can see, I was definitely a sedentary and stationary reader. Unlike my mom.
And then, late in life, and dare I say it a few pounds overweight, I discovered the recumbent bike. It was stationary, so you didn’t have to worry about balancing and handlebars. You could pedal away and read at the same time. And then, some years later, after becoming addicted to my recumbent bike (not really, it’s just that I love reading), I got an e-reader. A whole new bunch of stationary conveyances opened up for me and my reading addiction like treadmills and elliptical trainers. I have mastered the art of walking and reading at the same time. But only on a treadmill.
So, of course I don’t actually go anywhere like Mom did. It would be great if I could spend an hour walking to some useful place, like work or the store, get my reading in and then be someplace useful. That would be so utterly productive. Mom was on to something. Maybe I need a mule. Although I don’t think they have mule parking at my grocery store. Darn.
So where do you do most of your reading these days? And anyone who reads while riding bareback mule — and can prove it with a photo — is going to win autographed copies of the entire Last Chance series.
