It seems like everyone is on a constant quest for information that will make life easier/more comfortable/longer/richer/anything-you-want-to-add. I'm no different. I'm on numerous email lists, and I spend part of almost every day reading online news, magazines and blogs. My life is better because of much of the information I have gleaned from these and other sources; however, sometimes all that information becomes overwhelming and what I really need is Distraction (yes, with a capital D).
Distraction is the reason why we have satellite television, shelves full of books and a subscription to Netflix. I appreciated all of these this past week, when my old back injury flared up again and I spent many hours curled up with alternating ice and heat packs. TNT, USA and Sleuth channels came to the rescue with all of my favorite crime-solving series (NCIS, JAG, Law and Order, Bones, etc.), but I can only watch so much of that stuff before my brain becomes as mushy as the tissue on the autopsy tables. So I started looking further afield, and I have a couple of recommendations for anyone else looking for similar Distraction.
I am three chapters away from finishing the book, Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I really can't recommend this book highly enough. The story of a mountain climber turned humanitarian, it helped me get out of my own little world and see the suffering that goes on in others' worlds. More importantly, the authors demonstrate that even little efforts can change people's lives. To top it all off, the story is so compelling, I've been able to read for hours at a time (a key requirement for Distraction reading) and it is beautifully told. A good story well told--it doesn't get any better than that.
On Monday night, DH (who had been working very hard to take care of me and also get some needed house and garden work done) sat down with me to watch our latest Netflix movie, Last Chance Harvey, a quirky story about two seeming misfits, one American and one British, whose chance meeting in London proves that life does sometimes give us second chances. Short, well-written and well-cast (Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson), it really fits the bill for quality Distraction.
I'm back at my desk today, trying to dig out through the piles, but come the weekend, I will again be looking for more Distraction. Any suggestions?
3 comments:
I subscribe to a host of fun home decor and cooking blogs if you ever want to read more blogs. For me it's like an addiction, reading blogs. I just can't get enough, even though sometimes I have to say "enough is enough." P.S. I just put that movie on our own Netflix queue - looks good!
Have you read "Against Medical Advice"? It was written by James Patterson & Hal Friedman. A true and inspiring story about a boy and his family and their struggle with conventional medicine.
I LOVE Three Cups of Tea. If you liked it, you will also enjoy Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. I also recommend a novel called These is My Words by Nancy Turner. If you can get past the bad grammar in the title you will enjoy a story about a strong woman, as told in her own words, as she tames the Arizona frontier.
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