I feel as if every time I turn around there is some sort of international day of celebration for the mundane or obscure. I believe it’s a perk of living in an age when one’s quirks can be transmitted across space and time, and shared with others that are like minded. Today it seems is International Read Naked Day, and when I read the “about” section of the organizers of today’s festivities page I did a mental fist pump. Their description of the joy of reading was so closely connected to my own, I sighed with contentment. I love reading and by extension, I love books. Although I’ve been converted to the world of reading apps and tablets, there is an indescribable happiness I receive from touching an actual book. To quote e.e. cummings, “I like what it does, I like its hows”, and when someone says they don’t like to read, I recoil back from them with a shudder.

My life experiences are so intertwined with tomes of literature, farce, non-fiction, and sexy reads. When I go to the library I continue to get a tingly feeling at all of those books waiting to be read or reread. I also think about all of the sacrifices that were made for me to have such experiences. When I was younger, my uncle would say, “If you ever want to hide something from someone, put it in a book.” It was a warning and a rebuke all in one and I took his message to heart, as I stacked the miniature bookshelf in my room with my favorites. There’s little wonder that I dreamed of having my own name printed upon the delicate spine of a book one day. Although my name is currently pressed upon the digital page of a digital read, I still hold out hope I’ll see numerous pages bound in a single book sitting on a shelf, and whisper to myself, I did that.

If I didn’t want to be sequestered to the hot confines of my room, I’d gladly stay in the buff after digging through the books that are still packed for one of my favorites. I’m feeling particularly tactile today and would love to feel the cool press of well worn pages beneath my finger tips. Since I have no intention of causing my FIL to have a stroke, I’ll keep my clothes on, but celebrate in spirit, as I laze about reading on this lovely summer day.