I have a tendency to hide.
Most of you who have met me know this.
It could be because of my astrological sign or because I like cozy spaces. I hide in small rooms, behind doors, in my car, and, sometimes, I can even hide in a crowd. I like corner booths, nooks, and unpopular bars.
The holidays are one of the times when finding a place to hide is incredibly important. It's a busy time with a lot of people chatting about so many things. Sure it's a great time for "connecting" and "family" and "food" but after an hour of all that, my introvert brain fires off an alert flare and I have to find a place where I am no longer required to "engage". So I hide.
And when I am hiding, I'm usually reading.
One year I got in trouble because I smuggled in my copy of V.C. Andrews Petals on the Wind in my purse at the big extended family Christmas Eve event. I was always getting caught reading.
An excellent story, especially a salacious one, has the allure of a secret relationship. These new characters are suddenly in your life, and you just want to be wrapped around every little word they say ... but you can't because you have to go be respectable and social in front of your family. So you sneak away to be with all your new friends. You're sneaking around with a story.
The benefit of eBooks, eReaders, and phone apps that store digital content is I can take a story with me.
Excellent hiding places when you are sneaking around with a story:
The coat room -- Hidden under all the coats is an excellent reading fort for when family and friends become a little overwhelming.
The vehicle -- every old man I knew growing up who would sit in the truck listening to Paul Harvey outside the mall while their wives and girlfriends shopped were definitely onto something. I often keep a book in my truck to read while everybody else battles the crowds.
The other side of the bed -- okay, now this depends on the set up of your room, but when I had a very tiny toddler in my home who loved to follow me around, I would sit on the floor of the side of the bed that was not facing the door. I mean, yes, he eventually found me, but I scored a few glorious seconds alone.
The wrapping room -- which is often a bedroom with all the stuff in it -- usually my own. I lock the door, say I'm wrapping, and spend some much needed time by myself. No one knows your not wrapping.
If you need a story to read when you are hiding from your loved ones, check out "Local Monsters" over at the store.
Read Books. Wear Boots.
XOXO,
B.