A few months ago I rearranged our living room to make it a bit more cozy, a place more suited for conversations and – of course – for reading.

Of course, the trouble with making a place more hospitable to reading is that reading ends up happening there.

And, if the point of my rearranging was to make the living room a more lovely place, then sometimes all that reading and visiting (when it is between children), can get in the way. When I arrange the room just so, sit back and admire it, then I am tempted (and, unfortunately, much more than tempted) to get huffy when I see

the living room not so much just so.

These pictures, then, are a testimony and a reminder to myself that the purpose of the room is more fulfilled when it’s a place people can hang out with books comfortably than when it’s arranged just right.

This is far more lovely, really, than a well-arranged room.

Book spotting

Because I know you’ll ask

2 Comments

  1. How nice to fall asleep with Curious George in your hands… I think the reading around is fine. My place usually looks like that. If I sit for the evening, I have my not-so-little nest of reading, knitting and maybe the kindle, too. It does sting a bit to get things all neat and tidy, and then have it ‘used’. I’m happy when my kids have friends over, but I shudder some times when I think of what they might say when they go home. “what a messy house they live in”. Oh, well, they always find food here, and they keep coming back, so it must not be TOO bad. :o)

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