Is it still August?

It's only 11 days into August -- barely one-third through the month -- and already I feel rushed into September and October.

It's always like this. I work on projects with deadlines that draw me into the future.

This forward thinking is so much a part of my life that I find it difficult to stay present in the present.

And, really, how can anyone take it one day at a time when back-to-school sales beckon and previews of the fall TV lineup are sprinkled into daily programming?

I went to the Internet for answers, as I do for most things. Among all the workshops and DVDs and books on offer were several sites with rational (or only slightly strange) advice. Here are a few to get you (and me) started:

• Work Happy Now!: 4 Tips to Help You Stay Happy, Present and Productive at Work
  
• The Positivity Blog: 8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment
• HowToDoThings: How to Stay in the Present Moment
• PositivelyPresent: 5 Ways to Stay Present in Challenging Times

A short search and many tips later, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not alone is my inability to focus on today, everyday.

One bit of advice I can surely remember -- probably because my yoga instructor repeats it every class -- is to take a deep breath...and then let it all go. 

More books please

I've been looking for good books this summer. Some I read on my Kindle, others in hardcover or paperback. The format matters little; it's the content that keeps me reading.

Still, there are a few things about books that e-readers can't match:

1. You don't have to turn them off for take-off and landing in airplanes.

2. Gather enough of them together and they fill bookshelves in colorful ways.

3. They can be decorative items in and of themselves, left open on a coffee table or used in a short stack under a plant or lamp.

4. They hold down the corners of beach towels, and the sand won't gum up their works.

5. You can read them in the bathtub, and the water won't fry any electronics. (Soggy pages eventually dry out.)

6. They can steady a wobbly table by adding length to a short leg.

7. Books are readily available from stores, libraries, friends, flea markets, and sidewalk sales.


8. They're easy to lend and give as gifts.

9. There are many informal book exchanges (at B&Bs, vacation homes, club houses, community centers).

10. They can be signed by the author.

And so on and so on.

I'm sure there are similar lists for digital books and even specific e-readers.

For those who love to read, it doesn't have to be either/or. It's nice that it can be either/more.