withdrawal.....

Somehow, I don't know how, I arrived at my bus stop this morning with my water bottle, my umbrella, and.... no book. I had chosen a hardcover copy of Agatha Christie's "The Murder At the Vicarage" to take with me today instead of my ereader, in which I am currently reading "Ben Hur", "Les Miserables", "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life", a sampler of recent teen novels, and the scriptures. I set the book, umbrella and water down in order to turn off the air conditioner before I left. Somehow I missed picking the book back up. Sleep deprivation, perhaps. Whatever the reason, by the time I realized it, I didn't have time to run back home and grab the book. For the first time ever I wish I had a smart phone, because then I could have books on it. But no, I have a phone of ordinary intelligence.

The bus came. I read all the signs on the bus. I hoped for the opportunity to interact with another passenger, ask what they were reading. There was a strange dearth of readers today. The regular riders who like me generally have a book or ereader in their hands either weren't on the bus today or had possibly left home themselves tomeless, because they weren't reading and they weren't napping.

Somehow I survived. I think I might've broken out into a cold sweat at one point, but I survived, by rereading all the signs on the bus and past text messages and current text messages in response to the one I sent out lamenting my lack of a book. Helpful messages like "You should get more rest" and Oh man you are going to have a long morning" and "I hate it when that happens" and "This is serious!" and "How could you forget a book?"

When I forget my phone, I shrug and figure I'll make my phone calls when I get back home. When I forget my hat, my pate gets warm in the summer and my ears get cold in the winter. When I forget my umbrella, chances are good I will get wet (not a bad thing, as remembering it will almost guarantee it won't rain and forgetting it will almost guarantee we will get some moisture.) When I forget my water bottle, I can generally stop and buy another halfway to work in-between buses.

When I forget my book....

Well, I survived. Wish me luck and a good memory tomorrow...