This summer I am laying low at home, carting my sisters off from one activity to the next and making sure they don’t kill each other. Sometimes, I have to make sure I’m the one who is restrained. The cure? The library. That’s right, the library. Not only does it offer shelves of adventures at your fingertips, but also there is a beautiful thing called wifi. Without these, I am not sure I would have made it this far in life. But, since it’s me there's always some sort of struggle.
Upon entering the library I am made extremely aware of how obnoxious my feet clomp on the floor, the jangling of my keys and the rustling of my backpack as I adjust it. When I type at the table in the very back I feel as if the librarians at the front desk feel a disturbance in the force and are ready to seize me and throw me in library jail.
Wifi issues
Blessed be the library that provides free wifi but when I come here to work online or millions of other things, the Internet drags me into feeling as if I am breaking the sacred purpose of the library. I should probably be reading a book. Asking the librarian for help connecting feels like asking them to help me set the shelves on fire.
So. Many. Books.
I know it’s a library but wow, the shelves are endless. How do I know where to even look for a book? How does anyone find one? And how did that soccer mom march in here, grab a book, check out and leave in the time it took me to muster up the energy to even think of where I want to start my search?
This is where I die.
There are stacks on stacks on stacks. Sometimes I like to just wander through them but it’s seriously like a maze in there. Wait, where am I? How do I get back to my table?! I am too young to die! THIS IS NOT THE WAY I WANTED TO GO.
How much is the librarian going to judge me for checking this out?
I’m kind of judging myself for it right now. I wonder what these all-knowing bookworms are thinking. I also suddenly feel extremely incompetent.
When whispers are too loud
I am in a small town. Everyone knows everyone. I have been spotted by an elderly woman who I used to serve coffee to on Saturday mornings. She is approaching (surprisingly quickly). I am cornered. Annnnd now I will be forced into small talk as well as being “that guy” who won’t shut up in the library.
Time Warp
Holy crap, have I really been sitting here for that long? I can't believe how much I've accomplished. Having a quiet and uninterrupted space to read and take care of business is excellent. Why aren’t there more these? Oh, wait…
Warped Perception
Okay, I maybe didn’t accomplish that much because I started wondering how judged I would be if I sat in the bean bag chairs in the kids section…
Do I really have to leave?
Despite how loud and awkward I am and how hard it is for me to find a book, when I finally decide on one or get that message asking if I'm ever coming home, I can’t help but feel a little sad. It’s so peaceful here, the wifi is free and fast and it’s kind of like a little slice of heaven. It’s closing time so, the answer is yes, I do really have to leave.
P.S. Librarians are the bomb. Seriously, even though I clomp in here almost every day, they never seem annoyed by me or my questions and have never judged me for my book selection. They remember my name and they are just trying to do what they love while inspiring people to learn and have adventures at their own pace.
Shout out to libraries. If you haven’t been to yours in a while, go give it some love. If anything, you will get a book and probably some AC in return. Not to mention, it is free.
