The best of times the worst of times

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens   A Tale of Two Cities.

I am particularly drawn to the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities this morning.  Something my cousin posted on facebook got me to thinking about this book.   I really love Charles Dickens and soon it will be time to listen  to Patrick Stewart read A Christmas Carol.  I plan to listen to that at least 5 or 6 times before Christmas!

But I  digress, back to the best of times, the worst of times. I have been feeling so uncertain about the time I am living in.  There seems to be even more division in this country in the political climate. There seem to be so many radicals and very few reasonable thinkers.  The upcoming election is full of nothing but negativity. All of the ads are bashing the opponent.  Someone told me it is effective. That makes me feel very sad about the American public.

There is so much more crime on campus this year, that it is frankly just frightening. A young woman getting some cash from an ATM at 7:30pm was accosted by a knife wielding thief. She gave up the money and was  not hurt. I am so not a paranoid person,  I don't worry about being mugged or robbed, but this just makes you stop and think.   I am also fortunate to have an auto and I can drive up to the ATM and never have to get out of the car.

I have also been feeling just not like myself.  Too much sadness and stress in my life I guess. I thank God for all that I have and I believe me  I have a lot, not money, but the things that count, love and family and friendship.

Now for those books, here is a partial list of books I want to read:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(the movie is coming out and I want to read the book again just before the film)

The Claddagh Ring

An Echo in the Bone(just need to finish, I am almost there)

A Tale of Two Cities

The rest of the Princess Diaries (just plain fun)

A book on how to get out of debt and financial planning of which i cannot remember the title, but  a friend recommended it and it is sitting on my shelf

This coming weekend, I will sleep in on Saturday, go to workout, sweep the floors, make some soup and then settle in with a good book!