The Library

Just this January I walked back into our local library after not going in for maybe about four years. I went with my dad because I was looking for a certain movie and didn’t have a card anymore so he needed to check it out for me. I then thought as I passed the service desk…. “why not just check out what the procedure is to get a new card!” I sat down, they found me in the system easily, and not five minutes later I had my own brand new library card and I was rushing upstairs to go soak in the wonder that I could now check out ANYTHING I wanted to. All these books, movies, music, etc. were at my finger tips. All this knowledge, I had a moment of pure joy.

Before college I was an avid reader. I loved books so much. I even had a notebook where I would write down the title of the book I had just finished reading, the date, the author, how many pages there were, and I would even rate them! I’m sad because I recently looked for that notebook and I can’t find it anywhere and there’s this one book I really want to read again and I KNOW I had the title in that notebook… boo! Anyways, I loved reading so much. It was an escape for me. Entering college though with all the required reading and looooong essays I got burnt out quickly. I stopped reading and had a hard time getting invested in books. I can’t keep track of how many books I started and have just left half way because I just couldn’t finish them. But that all changed this past December!

This past December I stumbled across Yeonmi Park and her incredibly moving story of fleeing North Korea on YouTube. I was so intrigued and noticed she had written a book about her story as well title In Order To Live. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a really eye opening read, plus it is incredibly inspiring. I went to my local Barnes and Nobles and bought the book, but was slightly nervous I would have the same issue I had with other books where I would start it and then get half way through and stop. That was not the case. I read through the whole book, I did have to put it down once or twice because it was hard to read and process what she went through, but I would soon pick it up and begin reading again. After I finished this book I started to notice the urge to pick up another one. The want to start reading for fun again and not for required classes, but I just couldn’t think of the way to go about that. Should I go to the thrift store and just buy a ton of cheap books? No because I didn’t have a lot of room. Should I just reread the books I have at home? I guess I could do that, but I still wanted to read new stuff as well.

Then my friend recommended the Lego Batman movie to me. Have you all watched that movie? It’s so good! SO FUNNY! But anyways I looked it up to see if I could find it on any of my streaming systems, couldn’t, so I decided I’ll just go check it out from the library, and there we are back at square one! After I got that card in my hand and walked upstairs I felt like a kid in a candy shop. There are so many options at your local library! And at the end you can return it and it doesn’t take up a ton of space on your shelves. I love reading biographies and real life happenings and since getting my card I have read quite a few! I actually finished an autobiography by John Denver this very morning. I love listening to his music, but I never really knew too much about his life so it was eye opening to read his words and his journey behind all the beautiful songs he wrote. Do you have a favorite John Denver song? Or do you know his music?

All this rambling about libraries and books I know you’re probably wondering okay Mikaela what is this post supposed to be about?? I just wanted to share a special thing that I really have recently relearned to love! My therapist asks at the end of every session I have with her what is something I’m going to do for self care this week, and I’ve replied multiple times now that I’m going to set the time aside to read more. Taking the time to cut out a bit of your afternoon or evening to escape into the pages of a book. This is a huge way for me to delve into self care and it has also opened so many doors to learn for me. I feel like I have the world at my fingertips with all the material at the library. Do you have a local library near you? Have you gone in and figured out what it takes to check out books and other materials? What is your favorite genre of books to read?

Maybe you can make a promise to yourself to sit down and enjoy a bit of reading each day! It doesn’t have to been for too long if you have a busy day, but even just a few pages or a chapter or just a few minutes. It opens doors for you to worlds you didn’t know existed and knowledge just waiting there for you to learn! You won’t regret it!