Peace Out at the Library

Does this make you think of anything or make you feel a certain way? Oh, it does me! It pretty much takes my breath away , makes my heart beat fast and I feel giddy with excitement. It makes me think of the very first library I can recall spending time in. I must have been about 4 or 5 years old, and going to this place caused such a rush for me. I believe I loved books before I could read. Then, when the "decoding" began to happen, the library became even more of an exhilarating experience. Getting those books, carrying them home and poring over them became my joy and solace.

I loved to read so much that as the older sister, I imposed “read aloud time” upon Baby Sister. She appreciated it some. But not when I demanded that she warn me before she fell asleep, so that I “would not waste my breath”! We still laugh about that. Bringing my children into the hallowed stacks at the library was a great delight to me. I ADORE children’s books and did not mind reading most of them over and over again.

Because of my undying love for the library, it causes me no small amount of distress that my younger son does not love reading. Oh, he loves the library alright. He will pull great tomes off the shelf and beg to check them out. If I am in a generous mood, I let him do it, BUT they never get touched. He does okay with some of the “True Books” (nonfiction, interesting), but he never reads for pleasure. Sniff, sniff. I would love to change this. We have had silent reading time as a family, read aloud time, etc., but it just has not stuck. N is a good reader, but it is not his passion. Perhaps it is because of the push in elementary school for points and prizes (also known as AR) that did it. There was a lot of pressure to read a lot of books.

I feel at home in the library and hours can pass before I realize it. The magazines, the Consumer Report, the cookbooks . . . . ah, the possibilities are endless! I have also been known to secure a study room when I have too much to do. I can become undistracted here, make my lists, get my head straight, read a magazine, make a plan, and emerge a new woman.

In fact, I think I’ll go there right now. I think just sitting on one of those black stools would do wonders for me, but I rarely see one anymore . . .