Posted in Me

I've always liked to do calculations in my head, figuring out things like how many years I have been breastfeeding (10+, and a significant portion of that two children at a time), how many poems I will write if I continue at a certain pace (that was back in school in a particularly angst-ridden year, I guess), and how many years it will take to get in a better financial position (hopefully less than the total for nursing!).  Recently, however, I did some depressing calculations.

You all know that I have been, for the first time ever, keeping track of the books I read this year, aiming to read at least 52.  I never thought that would be a problem, and I have now finished 32 books this year, so I am ahead of the pace.  After my birthday two weeks ago, I started thinking though, "Wait a second...let's say when the children are a bit older I could read an average of two books per week...that's an average of 100 books a year...I'm nearly 40...my family is pretty long-lived...I mean, my great-grandfather lived to be 99, my grandfather almost 97...but that's no guarantee of anything...let's say I live to be 80...at 100 books a year, for forty more years...that's only 4000 more books!!!!!...how can that be?!"

I found that infinitely depressing. I'm sure there are more than 4000 books I want to read!  Guess I better read faster...