A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.
– E.B. White
Libraries hold a special place in my heart, a silent reprieve from the bustling world and my responsibilities. There’s a hush of quiet that guards the front doors, so when I enter, I truly enter a place where anything is possible.
The sensation to me is sacred, and I cherish it. Even today, when I visit my local library, I feel that same embodiment of being and I know I am somewhere special.
There are nooks and veiled spots, where I can sit and read or write or listen. For me there is a strength that is imbued when I’m willing to accept it, take it in, and honor it. There’s been many times when the goings-on of “out there” have aligned and stabilized after I spent time in the library.
Why is that? Maybe there’s a letting go response that happens internally, where my core person recognizes the frutility in fighting what can’t be stopped. As if, accepting the other-world books describe, my mind centers on something other than me.
The abundance of books are always a pleasure to see. My heart becomes giddy with the possibilities presented. Where do I want to go? What do I want to learn? Who do I want to follow on an adventure?
And some days, where do I want to hide? Sometimes life is too chaotic or too busy or too demanding and finding a place to catch a break is what’s needed, for a bit that is. I used to hide in books for days and weeks, coming-to only to eat and drink.
My hiding disconnected me from my own world and reality, and with that I lost myself. I must come out into the light, bask in the grace of breathing, and socialize with my fellow humans.
One of the first things I do when I move to a new place, is get a library card and peruse the aisles to my heart’s content. I feel connected to my new community and, as always, find more authors to read and more stories to imagine.
Weathered Well 