Yesterday I did something truly decadent.

I sipped coffee and read a book in bed for two solid hours. It was heavenly.

Shocking, I know! Did you realize that this was the blog of a degenerate, caffeine addled, book-reader?!? (Now would be the time to clutch your pearls and search for the smelling salts.)

Okay, so maybe we have different definitions of the word ‘decadent.…’

Image and Design: Laura Messersmith — Image and Design: *Laura Messersmith*

When I was in high school I used to spend a ton of time reading (the coffee drinking came later), but it’s been a long time since I’ve spent more than a few minutes with a book – long flights are the notable exception. But, as I’ve gotten a little older and the daily to-do list has gotten a little longer I don’t seem to have the time to sit still for an extended period of time anymore.

And, somewhere along the line I got into the mindset that once I had my ‘chores’ done, then I could relax. Mike teases me that I never drink hot coffee because I am forever pouring a cup and then immediately abandoning it to start an unrelated task. End result: it’s usually lukewarm by the time I get around to drinking it.

But how to put the breaks on without feeling guilty about leaving the to-do list undone (at least for a little while)? Flying more often just to read seems a bit impractical.

I think the more permanent answer is seeing reading not as a waste of time – the Huffington Post has more than a handful of reasons why it’s actually good for you – but as an activity that is valuable and worthwhile. We encourage children to read all the time, why can’t we do the same for ourselves as adults?

So, I’ll be rededicating my time to moving my bookmark a little further along in the pages of the books on my nightstand and rest comfortably in my decadent lifestyle.