A lifetime of words.......

My life is full of changes.  The more I age the more I seem to stay active.  Yes, I consider myself a busy lady............even though I'm no spring chicken.  Three score and ten years are fast approaching but I have to admit I feel much younger, perhaps forty five! My forties were a roller coaster ride, many personal ups and downs, and a tough battle with cancer.  When all that was sorted and I picked up the pieces, I decided that I needed to make the most of my life because I'd been given a wonderful second chance.  I made decisions which have enabled me to have a good life, surrounded mostly by people who care about me, even love me......and a few who don't!  Absolutely nothing in life is perfect.

Life throws things at us.............some by way of the written word, others by happenstance. I love words. I thrill to opening a new book where the words look promising.  Flipping through a magazine used to be always enjoyable, now mixed feelings prevail.  This week I declined renewing my subscription to a well known home magazine because, after many years and many hundreds of dollars, I noticed they are charging me almost triple what they offer to a new subscriber.  I sent a letter to them explaining my cancellation decision, and had to add that their publication no longer truly thrilled me with so many pages of advertising.  Yes I know ads are necessary for revenue, I used to work in advertising, but they stoop so low now, double spreads of drug ads that I detest on paper as much as on the television screen at dinner time! I now prefer to spend my money on beautiful books and just a few international magazines.

My favorite decor and home magazines:

UK Country Living (Great Britain)

Campagne Decoration (France)

Cote Sud (France)

Jeanne d'Arc Living (Denmark)

And so..........my magazine stacks are dwindling as my book stacks grow taller.  

I don't buy all my books new. Often I browse the shelves of a couple of used book shops. I look for favorites on my list which may show up, and sometimes I discover a gem I wasn't familiar with but know would be a perfect addition to my collection.  Some I hold on to, others I read and then pass along to a friend who may also find enjoyment in its pages.

Words are odd things.  Sometimes we are full of them, spouting them out nonstop like a raging waterfall. Other times they stop us in our tracks making us tongue-tied, silent.  They can shower one in anger or caress one with love.  They are often noisy when spoken, quiet when read alone.

Words are very powerful and truly wonderful.