Recent reading

I started writing this post a few weeks back & it has languished in my drafts folder. All these articles were included in one day's edition of the Globe & Mail, in the Life section & I thought they were worth sharing:

• Why my family's back yard (not the beach) is the best escape:  I found myself nodding as I read this... there was so much I could relate to (you may recall that I recently wrote in a similar vein).  "For most people with relatively predictable lives, vacations are the sunny or snowy reward... As a self-employed person whose career feels like shooting down a two-storey water slide every day, I don’t have the residual time, focus or energy for any of it. At home, I’m reminded of who I was before I left: a dreamy kid reading magazines. While some seek an electrical charge from a vacation; others, calm and relaxation, I need the specific familiarity of where I came from, to be grounded by the values and interests and people that I had before I created my own (often weird, sometimes alienating) adult life. Even on a good day, it’s very different from the suburban tranquil where everyone else in my family still is." 
• Why we agonize over destroyed possessions: I've always been much more attached to my "stuff" than dh. I liked reading an explanation of why "stuff" can mean so much to us. I know it's only stuff, and people are more important than things... but some things do mean something. I'm obviously not the only one! 
• What is so wrong with having only one child?  I've seen this book in stores recently, have been reading interviews with the authors. Some of you who are struggling to have that second child may find some comfort in her words.

I'm on vacation right now & my computer time is limited but I am reading & commenting on blogs when I can. And reading a lot of books. :)  Reviews to come, eventually. :)  Hope you are enjoying the summer!