What's on YOUR nightstand?

This might make you laugh -- it certainly did for me. Actually, it opened my eyes a bit to a very interesting difference between my husband and myself -- what we choose to read. Oh, I've known since the day I met him that he's not what you would call a "reader," and while I have accepted this major difference in our relationship, I do sometimes wish I could change that in him. Reading is such a huge part of my life, and I wish I could share it with him. It's not that he doesn't read (he'd never have gotten through seminary if that were the case!)-- when he's in a certain phase, as he's prone to do, he'll immerse himself in the topic du jour, reading material included. But it's a wasted effort to try to get him to pick up a fantastic novel or piece of fiction. "I'll wait for the movie," is his usual response.

This leads me to my chuckle this morning. I tackled the cleaning of our bedroom earlier, putting clothes away, dusting, and vacuuming. It's a small room -- about 9 feet by 13 feet -- and somehow we've managed to cram a lot in there. As I was dusting, I paused at the foot of our bed and looked at our nightstands, mine piled high with books and Don's haphazardly covered with magazines. Each nightstand is 13 inches by 13 inches, with our queen-sized bed sandwiched between, and the entire lot takes up the whole width of the room with an inch or two to spare. I was amazed at what those little nightstands could hold and instantly saw the very, very different personalities of the inhabitants of that room, displayed on those tables. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled down the tables' contents:

My Table, on top:
- The Prize-Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan (our most recent Book Club selection)
- Days of Dreams and Laughter by L.M. Motgomery (a big, fat book that includes three stories: The Story Girl, The Golden Road, and Kilmeny of the Orchard)
- My God and I by Lewis Smedes (great memoir)
- Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult (highly recommended by a friend but I can't read it. While the writing is very good, the subject matter -- the assault of a 5-year-old boy -- is not something I can read about, especially before bed)
- Earthy Joys by Philippa Gregory (historical fiction, based on the life of the 17th century gardener to famous courtiers and kings, John Tradescant)
- Frank McCourt's trilogy, newly arrived: Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, and Teacher Man

Ahhh, but that's just the beginning. Under my little 13"x13" night table stacked neatly on the floor are:
- The Grouchy Ladybug (Eric Carle)
- The Walt Disney Treasury
- 7 stories of Bob the Builder
- Jesus Loves Me
- Bear's Busy Year - a book about seasons
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Good-Night?
- The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss)
- Curious George and the Birthday Surprise
- A Thomas the Tank Engine Treasury

And what just so happens to be on Don's night table?
- Four issues of Stereophile magazine
- Two issues of Audio Advisor magazine
- Parts Express
- Making Music (magazine)
- Acoustic Sounds, Inc.
- Inside Connection (music industry)
- Markertek.com
- a large stack of paper printed from various audiophile websites

I guess there really is something to the old adage, "opposites attract." One look at our nightstands alone proves that theory correct.

So forget Capital One ... What's on YOUR nightstand?