Vacation is going well! I have been quite busy, but much of my days have been spent with friends, reading, and writing, so I am in a happy place! As I was thinking about what to write about, it occurred to me that I wanted to talk about books, but felt bad that I relate most of my posts back to what I am reading at the moment. This blog was never intended to be "How to read 52 self help books and reinvent yourself in a year." Then, I realized the truth!
Books have played a monumental role in my life. It is something that I actually take for granted because it is so much a part of me. Taking the time to look more closely at my life this year, I realize what a lifeline they really are for me. So, you will be getting a lot of updates about what I am currently reading, want to read, may someday read, etc...
Let me explain. The story goes that I taught myself how to read when I was three. One of my first memories is actually the shock and awe of my next door neighbor as she figured out I was actually reading the items on her refrigerator, not just talking about them or remembering what someone else told me they said. But, to say I taught myself how to read would be a disservice to my parents.
My dad had 3 custom bookcases built for me in our apartment when my mom was pregnant. I never remember a time that they were not overflowing with glorious books of all shapes and sizes. My mom read to me every day. We always bought a book in the checkout aisle at the grocery store (this was the late 70s and early 80s when they still had children's books and encyclopedias in the checkout aisles). My mom also took me to used bookstores and we were such frequent guests at the library that it felt like a second home to me.
So, it is no surprise that I was an early reader. My parents read, made sure I always had reading material, and made books a fun regular activity for me. This may be the greatest gift they ever gave me (besides life, of course!) And it is one that has served me in more ways than I could have ever known possible.
One of my favorite childhood memories is reading into all hours of the night under the covers of my bed long after I was supposed to be sleeping. My dad would buy me flashlights and batteries so I could have this secret area and time, and my mom was constantly taking them away and yelling at both of us because I needed my sleep! This went on forever! Those nights under the covers were great times where I read stories from the Baby-Sitter's Club obsessively and pretty much any chapter book I could get my greedy little hands on.
I knew I was loved, but my parents were not happily in love. Their marriage ended when I was in third grade and I was already well versed in how to use my books as an escape. Those late night reading sessions were some of the most relaxing times of my day. Mom and Dad could throw down with the best of them and I did not deal well with all of the yelling. My books allowed me an escape. They allowed me to be me where all I had to do was show up and I was accepted and I could try new things. As the clumsiest child you ever met, I was not very adventuresome in real life. Which is probably a good thing as I had enough of emergency room visits just making it through a normal day! Whether it was the ambulance ride from school for the nose that would not stop bleeding, or the horsefly attack that led to yet another emergency room trip, I was quite the magnet for oddities and drama!
Luckily, my books helped me through this time, the death of my father when I was 12, a very rough home life during adolescence, and just the process of growing up. This love of reading helped me through the questions and milestones of my twenties and now in my 30s it grounds me and gives me a place to reconnect when the world just becomes too much. Whenever I have a question, I look to the information that is out there to guide me. While the internet is usually my first stop now, much of it is just a billion pages of words waiting to be read. I love self help books not because I feel like I am not good enough, but I love reading the wisdom of people who have already traveled the journey.
For the record, my love of reading is not confined to the self help realm. I will read anything I can get my hands on! Fiction, nonfiction, the cereal box... Even my daily commute is defined by the audiobooks I listen to. While I like the radio as much as anyone, audiobooks give me the opportunity to get lost in a story. A great novel is like traveling with friends. Listening to The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Never before had I actually clapped when a novel was done. I laugh out loud as I listen to the memoirs of Jen Lancaster wondering why I enjoy them so much when I strongly suspect we would not get along if we were ever to meet! Every audiobook is a chance to squeeze in a little more reading time into my day and make a strenuous commute an enjoyable experience.
As you can see, librarian was not an odd choice for a career path! I will describe how that came about in a later post, but it is just another way that the universe has gifted me. As I sit here writing, I am just so THANKFUL that I get to share this with you. This book loving nerd has a passion and it is books. Of course I like to read them, but I also like to touch them, be surrounded by them, talk about them. They are a true passion and a good chunk of what makes me, me.
I know there are many other parts of me that I still need to discover. I know that I use books as a crutch to hide from some of those other parts. But for right now I just want to take a moment to say thank you to God, my parents, the universe, and the thousands of writers who have made my life special. These writers deserve a second thank you as well. You have allowed me to feel feelings I would otherwise not allow myself to feel or have cause to know. You have allowed me to experience more than I could on this planet (or universe) in a million lifetimes. You have given me shelter from the world and myself when I needed it and more importantly, prodded me to go out and mark my place at just the right moments. Words do no justice to the debt I owe you. I try to put just the right book at just the right time in my patrons' hands. I try to know what story will fill their voids. Just know that I try to pay it forward every day.
So there it is, my blog's first big epiphany! I am what I read!!! Now that we have gotten the obvious news out of the way, let's see what we learn next!
Talk Soon,
Mis
