I don’t profess to being a daily reader of a hard copy newspaper. Time, attention span, the Internet, the pressure of reading, well, everything has continued to get in the way of becoming a hard copy newspaper devotee (an unsuccessful New Year’s resolution year after year.) Enter the Kindel.
For months friends and family were encouraging me to check out the Kindle, Amazon’s wireless reading device. As one friend put it, “It’s the only way to read the newspaper!” Ironically, while not a daily reader, there is one ritual that I look forward to every weekend: vegging on the couch with a cup of tea and The NY Times. Something about a fresh paper and all that information packed into those pages makes me almost giddy at times…and certainly makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something when I’m done.
I didn’t care how easy, efficient, consuming, small or miraculous this product might be. I wasn’t willing to give up my Sunday morning R&R. And then my neighbor (you know who you are) stole my Sunday paper. As fate would have it, as I complained over brunch, a friend leaned over and gave me his Kindle with some gentle encouragement, “Go on. Try it for the day. It’s going to change your life.” Yeah, right.
That was three months ago and I haven’t looked back. No longer is there the mad dash to get the newspaper. Nor is there the frustration that someone has already read the paper, leaving me with a crumpled pile of sections. My newspaper reading has gone to a whole new level of relaxation.
I even find that I’m reading and enjoying sections that I’d never found interesting. Sports. (McNabb is on fire!) Op-Ed. (I’ve certainly had a few drunkenfreude moments.) Science. (It’s true. Diesel fuel can be made from coffee grounds.) I read everything!
My favorite feature? Hands down, it’s the dictionary. Before I had to get off the couch, get the dictionary and look up the word. Now it’s literally at-my-fingertips.
This amazing device that has made newspaper reading easy and enjoyable isn’t perfect. Nor do I think I’ll ever have the heart to part with reading an actual book. But for now, this little piece of technology has simplified and made pleasurable a task that I’d always found daunting.
And, thanks to my Kindle, I’ve accomplished one of my New Year’s resolutions – EARLY!