My most recent obsessions pursuits, have been around reading (that one never goes away) and sewing (again). Sewing is something I can putter around with in my spare time. I give myself goals and figure out how to make whatever it is I have in my head (with varying results).
Reading is different. For me it’s as basic a need as drinking water or eating food. I need it to thrive.
I remember in the third grade my teacher called my mom in for a conference saying that basically there was no way I could be reading so many books and comprehending them. She thought I must be skimming them or just flipping through the pages. That stopped when I was able to talk about all of the books I was reading.
I have distinct memories of shutting myself inside my closet at night, turning on the light and reading books from cover to cover so I could read scary stories but be past the scary parts before going to sleep. When I was in junior high I used to lay out a hammock in our backyard and read for so long that time limits were enforced.
I have romantic ideas of one day owning a house with a library that has floor to ceiling books with a ladder on wheels propped up against the wall so I can reach higher shelves. This is despite the fact that I long ago acknowledged the fact that I don’t re-read many books and so stopped buying them and started making heavy use of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
For me libraries are sort of a safe haven. They are filled with books, which I love, and staffed by people who love books, which is perfection. Other people see the library as a safe haven, too, but for other reasons. There they can get help with homework, on their GED, on job applications, with learning English and so much more. A library is more than a place for books and information. It’s a community resource center – as in a place for resources but also the center of the community.
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has more than half a million cardholders and it’s one of the ten busiest public libraries in the nation! Their levy is up for renewal this fall and the levy’s passing is important to ensure that the library can continue to be a strong community resource. Taxes won’t increase if this levy passes but it will help maintain the only local funding for the library.
I’ll be supporting the library and hope you will, too.
My grandmother passed away several years ago, but in case I ever need something extra by which to remember her, I can always look to her library card. The prefect representation of her own quest for knowledge.
