required reading

Christmas 1999 my mom gave me a book-a-day calendar. Each day offered a short review/description of a book. I have no idea how the selections were made because the calendar covered a large variety of topics and included recent publications and classics. Throughout the year I tucked away in a drawer the books that sounded most interesting either for me to read or to buy as a gift for friends. By November, I had most of my Christmas shopping done with the help of this handy little calendar.

For my friend Linda who was expecting her first child in December 2000, I bought Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year. At the time I didn't know if she was having a boy or girl, but based on the book's review, I thought she would enjoy it either way. As it turned out she did have a beautiful baby boy. I don't know if she enjoyed the book or ever even found time to read it...especially now that she has 2 boys!

When I found out I was going to have a boy, I remembered this book and picked up a copy, and I just finished it Saturday night. Needless to say, I don't have much time to read for pleasure. I had dusted off my paperback to bring along to a doctor's appointment last month. It was the first time ever that I enjoyed spending over an hour in the waiting room. Slowly I began to remember what it felt like to have totally "free time"...not "Cole's napping I've got 5 free minutes so what can I accomplish time"...but completely, utterly "free time." It was nice.

Saturday night after Cole fell asleep instead of going back to my office to work, I reached for my book and while I was tired, reading was more renewing than sleep. I finished the book and when my head hit the pillow I fell into a deep sleep almost instantly because I was so much more relaxed.

The book by the way is fantastic. It is the most honest text I have ever read. The author doesn't gloss over the ugly parts nor does she run away from sentimentality...she teeters in between and that's real life. You can bet I'll be buying more copies for pregnant friends in the future, and I'll be sure to give it to them before the baby is born so they might actually have time to read it.