Okay, I have decided to come clean and admit it. I have an addiction. I know it’s hard to believe that such a fine, upstanding citizen such as myself could have a problem, but it’s true and it’s time for me to face the fact.
And the simple truth is that I can’t seem to keep away from purchasing magazines. Every time I pass by a checkout counter, or enter a bookstore or visit the pharmacy, there they are calling my name. Those glossy, slick covers and catchy headlines just grab my attention and won’t let go.
I have spent way too much of my precious time and my hard-earned cash to feed this nasty habit of mine. After years of purchasing magazines and finding that the contents fail to match the promising covers, I should know better by now, but an addiction clouds one’s judgement and is hard to break.
I do have discerning tastes and usually focus on issues that feature home decor, gardening, cooking, the news and travel. But I also love publications that focus on history, geography and writing. Oh, who am I kidding? I read almost everything including those trashy Hollywood tabloids (gasp)! (Even though I could care less who Taylor Swift is now dating or if Caitlyn Jenner feels fulfilled with her new life.)
In my defence, I do have neat piles which I frequently reference. I also read and reread the ones I decide to purchase and then pass them on to my aunt who in turn takes them to the hospital for patients to enjoy. So I feel I am benefitting society through my actions. And, I’d like to think, that I am a better-informed person because of all the reading I do.
However, I know it’s time for an intervention when I am at the dentist’s office and I’m upset with the receptionist when she calls me in early for my appointment because I have not yet thumbed through all the display magazines.
So it’s time to wean myself from my magazine dependency. I have started by cancelling several subscriptions and by visiting Chapters more often where I can get my fix without purchasing a single magazine. (Although I think the staff is starting to get suspicious.) Anyway, who needs to buy magazines when there’s an app for my iPad and if I’m desperate there’s always Pinterest.