Tiffany Painter

When you write, the piece of advice you often hear is to read a lot. I took this advice to heart, but I may have gone overboard. At least in terms of preparation. My TBR pile is at the point it’s causing me stress. Actually, piles with an “s” because I have sorted them. There’s the basic reading pile of books that I’ll share with a small group of fellow readers. This pile is on my nightstand and is now threatening to knock over the lamp. It’s a hard pile to get to the bottom of because as I share books with my friends, they share books with me that get added to the pile. It’s mostly fiction, but there are some nonfictions in there because I love Anne Patchett essays. In my office there’s a basket of middle grade (children) books that I want to read to support my writing. The basket is completely full but I have another one arriving in the mail today. That’s part of my problem. I love to support independent book stores and their events for authors and always end up purchasing the book being discussed, even when it’s an out-of-state store. I have two more piles of books on my work table, one for library books and one for writing craft books. The craft books tend to get started, but then I may bounce around reading sections that apply in the moment. Wait, that means it’s not actually a TBR pile and more of a being read pile. But that still leaves the library pile; the one causing me the most stress. All the other piles can stay as long as necessary, but the library pile has a deadline. I have to finish these by next week. It makes me sad knowing it won’t happen and I’ll have to return a couple of them unread. As it is, I had to create a reading schedule just to get through most of them. It’s like being back in school with homework. “I’m sorry I can’t go to dinner with you. I haven’t finished my daily reading allotment.” And if that isn’t bad enough, I have to give the books back. That’s the way the system works. I only get to borrow them for a couple of weeks. When it’s a really good book with a pretty cover, it’s hard to push it through the return slot knowing I won’t see it again. This is the kind of stress I’m dealing with. I won’t even bring up the books waiting for me on my kindle and audio app. It’s easier to pretend they don’t exist since I can’t actually see them. I may have to admit I have problem, but for now, I must go do my homework.

5/12

cat resting on lap
listening to rain outside
enjoying warm tea

5/13

after the rain falls
the sun comes out to spotlight
highlight of the day

5/15

purple wall delights
scent of spring greets everyone
slow down to enjoy

5/17

trying to find peace
in a world full of noise
turning off the phone

5/18

mornings together
best when spent outside watching
shadows disappear