The Approach

I think that the approach to anything in life is important and worth taking a few minutes to think about before commencing. The approach to a person, task, place, animal or object sets the tone for the entire exchange. It is worth consideration.

Sure, when you approach routine tasks there is little thinking involved. I do always say 'good morning' to my kettle when I turn it on in the morning for my first cup of tea. I always give my doggies a little pat and ask if they slept well. I get on my bike the same way every morning and walk up the same stairs to my office. The approach is not so important.

The approach to certain rituals in life is very important. Holy water blessing and the sign of the cross on the approach to the alter in the Catholic church or the removal of shoes in a Temple. A handshake with a stranger. The national anthem at the start of a baseball game. A glass of wine with friends before dinner. All of these set an atmosphere that hopefully continues throughout the experienc. When there is more than one person involved in the situation we don't often have as much control over the proceedings but we can set the tone by our approach. Am I going to enter the meeting room with a smile, a serious look, talking on my phone, or will I drop my papers to see who helps me or who sneers at me? It is mostly calculated and I think it is a good idea.

I have ritual approaches in my everyday life that are a little more involved than the ones I previously wrote of. I always fix myself a cup of tea, compose my thoughts and say a little, well - prayer - I guess you can call it, before I sit down to write. Before I put on a movie I make sure I have a hot water bottle at my back, a drink, a snack, my knitting and anything else I might need during the movie so I don't have to stop and start again. I approach a new knitting project by reading the pattern slowly from start to finish and picture it all in my mind, then I cast on. I'm not a total control freak. I can wait for things. I am happy to be interrupted. I don't mind leaving one thing to do something else. But I am certain that my theory on The Approach is correct. Take a minute, close your eyes, what do you want to achieve and in your experience what is the best way to start? Do that!

My approach to a book is as important to me as my approach to anything else. There are a couple of ways that books enter my house. I purchase them or I check them out from the public library. Occasionally, a friend will lend me a book as well. If I come home and find a parcel on the front door I bring it inside. I take off my helmet and riding clothes, get into something comfy, make sure the chores are done and dinner is on the stove, make myself a cup of tea, get my hot water bottle (yes, I am addicted to it) and then I open the package. (Sometimes it will be wool that I have ordered and the approach to the package is very similar.) I want to have at least a half an hour to look at my book if it is non-fiction. I look at the cover. I never ever read the inside cover or the back of the book - I do not want someone else's opinion of this book to influence me. I read the dedication - I get a little shiver when someone says they love their mother so much that they had to write a book to thank her - and I read the introduction. I scan thru the first pages and decide if I have time to start to read right then or if I need to wait for bedtime. Honestly, this is one of the nicest parts of my day if my evening begins with an approach to a new book.

If the book is a novel I have several courses of action. Mostly it goes in my to-read pile and, depending on my excitement about receiving it, the book goes on the top of the pile or in its appropriate place in line. When I approach a new novel to read I do the same things I do with a non-fiction but as soon as the dedication is read I usually dive right in with no further preamble.

If I bring books home from the library I take the same approach but because I usually have several books. I wait to look at them properly until I am sure I have time to give each the time they deserve.

Different types of books deserve different types of approaches. Fiction is quick. Non-fiction is a little slower but not much. Coffee table type books deserve a very languid approach. Knitting books - I wait till I am in bed and I always go to bed at least half an hour earlier than normal. Cooking books - I approach them with food - they make me hungry - and I have to put them down to fix something to eat - I don't like that.

The way I approach a book can determine whether I give the book any importance or not. If I am hasty I often don't get back to the book for quite a while. If I haven't made good preparations for my approach and I get a spark of interest which means I want to spend more time looking at it right then, I have to put it down and compose myself all over again - what a waste of time. If I don't give a cooking or pattern book enough time at the very beginning, I often am left with a hasty opinion that may take quite a while to change (although we all know the fun of re-discovering something we've had for ages and suddenly find we like it much better now).

The opposite may happen too. I may approach a book with respect and open mindedness and find that it lets me down badly. Oh, well. That's why we have book fairs, second hand book stores and friends (hey, just because I don't like something doesn't mean you won't adore it - I like that about people).

Whatever you are approaching - an assignment, your boss, middle age, retirement, the bench, a movie or, especially, a book, do it with forethought and consideration. Start something in the way you would like it to end. We seldom have control over the ending but we can establish the mood for the entire experience if we take two minutes to think things through. Approach a book as if it is going to bring you hours of pleasure and teach you something valuable. Approach it from the beginning as you would an admired teacher and you won't regret those two minutes of deliberation and reflection.