6.19.09

When I was a little girl, I would completely lose myself in books. On the surface it appears that I am less apt to do that now. While I am ferocious reader, I rarely get completely lost in the world of a book. I think this has somewhat to do with the quality of books available for adults and also says something about all the real world things that consume my daily thoughts.

If you know me in real life though, and I mean really know me, (so maybe I mean, if you are my mother or Nathan) then you know that I often pretend to be other people. I don't do this in a creepy way, but rather in a "well, how would such and such a person wash this dishes" kind of way. Does that make any sense? I apologize if you are all creeped out now. I promise that I am crazy in a different kind of way. Think of it as me having the imagination of a six year old that never really died. I don't let a lot of people know about my super imaginative ways because, well, I'm a functioning adult, but bet your bottom dollar that I daydream often about fictional people that I wish were my friends.

What's the point of all this? Well, last week I read the most fabulous book: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society. If you have not already read it, please do so immediately and report back. I l-o-v-e-d it. Period. End of story. It was incredible and not in a deep, thought-provoking way, but in a "man, this book just made me smile" kind of way.

Now, if you also know me in real life, you know that if I am very sad, I am quiet and will only send you emails. If I am happy (and, really, I'm rarely somewhere in the middle) then I am deliriously happy and I will blabber on and on and on about how happy I am and then I will comment on every little thing that makes me giddy (lately, I've been chatting non-stop about walks around New York with Nathan, Pinkberry and Paul Simon--mostly to Nathan--I imagine that being married to me can be exhausting).

So, last week, every time we were on the train together and I was reading this fabulous book, I would inevitably put it down at some point, turn to Nathan and start chattering away about how much I loved it and how great it was and how I either wanted to be Juliet Ashton or wanted her to be my best friend.

So Nathan asked me what was so great about her and I think I mentioned hats, a weekly column, her natural wit and how she was being wooed by an American publisher. Well, my husband, bless his heart, pointed out to me that I too was daily wooed by an American publisher. (And yes, my husband is a publisher). Well, y'all, I almost died and went to Heaven to realize that I actually did have something rather substantial in common with Juliet Ashton.

Since then I have honest to goodness felt wittier. I have tried to let my humor shine forth a bit more in my writing and I have constantly be on the lookout for other ways to channel Juliet.

So imagine my delight (imagine my delight is very much something Juliet would say) when a friend I had written back and forth often but never met in person asked if she and her husband could stay with us while they were in New York. Y'all--I lost it. THIS is what Juliet does in the book. She writes letters to people and forms friendships and then gets to meet everyone in real life! (To be fair, I know the husband--we grew up together and his sister-in-law was one of my best friends in high school.) Still, I am so excited!

They are kayaking the east coast and you can read all about their journey here. I am stocking the pantry tomorrow for them. The towels are clean. We have spare keys at the ready. To top it all off, I was just chatting with Nathan this week about how I finally have so many things I always equated with being a successful adult (great husband, funny cat, lovely home, inspiring job, busy social calendar), but that I wished we hosted more parties and house guests. Well, look at that--dreams do come true!