Let audio book keep you focused when it’s time to eliminate clutter
I spent the first days of the New Year hard at work.
It helped that I was alone after Christmas, with the house to myself, and didn’t have any distractions. The rest of the family was away visiting relatives, so I knew I could only blame myself if I didn’t get anything done.
I didn’t go near the bookshelf because I knew I would be lost if I picked up a book. I didn’t watch a movie because I didn’t want to take the chance that I would find myself sitting down, absorbed in what was happening on the screen, instead of my work. And I wanted something more engaging than music.
So I looked for another kind of baby sitter – in this case, something that would keep me on task and out of trouble.
I often bring home audio books and put them up for a mental rainy day or better still, rainy days. I save them for a time when I can’t go out and play, but have to stay indoors instead and work.
My rainy days finally came. I got the chance to listen to a few of the recordings when I tackled some of the chores on my list.
While I sorted through a mountain of torn-out magazine pages and newspaper clippings, and filed the papers littering my desk, I listened to a favorite Jane Austen book.
When the office was done and I moved on to my messy closet, I put on “Jeeves,” by P.G. Wodehouse and laughed out loud at Wodehouse’s delicious wordplay, and the ridiculous antics of Bertie Wooster.
Later, lulled by Howell Raines’ languorous drawl as he read “Fly Fishing through the Midlife Crisis,” I marked the passage of time in my own life by folding and putting away the last of the little dresses I had smocked for my girls, finally outgrown by the youngest.
Instead of drudgery, the hours I spent working, listening to the words of gifted storytellers, were pleasant and productive, a gentle way to pass the time and fill the empty corners of the house.
A lot of us pick up videos and DVDs at garage sales or thrift stores. But I sometimes think the recorded books are overlooked. That’s a shame.
I love the idea of being read to. Doesn’t everyone? It’s quiet and companionable, and in a small way, comforting. It engages the mind while leaving our hands free to go about their work.
And, really, where does it say that housework has to be boring and dull the brain?
I set three housekeeping goals to bring in the New Year: I wanted to clean and organize my office, my closet and the basement storeroom. I didn’t get to the storeroom yet, but two out of three isn’t bad. And that’s a big job. I think I’ll wait until I find a big book before I wade into it.
Something like “War and Peace.”
Where to look
Audio books on the secondary markets are usually in the $5 to $10 range. Most are cassettes, but CDs are available.
Local resources for new and used audio books include:
Books in Motion, 9922 E. Montgomery Suite 31, (800) 752–33199 www.booksinmotion.com/
Second Look Books, 2829 E. 29th, 535-6319 www.2ndlookbooks.com
Aunties Bookstore 402 W. Main, 838-0206 www.auntiesbooks.com
Defunct Books, 123 S. Wall St., 624-9064 www.defunctbooks.com, (866) DEFUNCT
Flea market weekend
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, local antiques dealer Sally Reid called to remind me that the flea market will be at the Spokane Fairgrounds, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission for both days is $4.