Last night, I finally got to slow down for the
first time in forever. It seems like the constant
succession of events and obligations offers little
opportunity to really take a moment to look around.
Whenever I’m stressed, worried or sad, I like to
go to a bookstore, and at the end of yesterday, I
found myself heading straight from campus to Borders.
I don’t know what it is about bookstores, but I
find spending hours wandering the maze of aisles
therapeutic. I especially enjoy the more spacious
ones. Perhaps it’s because the place is a virtual
meeting of the minds. Here, you encounter words of
wisdom from great intellects throughout history. I
like Borders because the employees allow the customer
to actually sit down and read. And I take full
advantage of this, poring over history, poetry,
self-help and whatever else might strike my fancy.
Last night, I perused the 2003 “Guiness Book of World
Records,” “How to Fix Everything,” a giant guide to
insomnia, and “How To Be Happy, Dammitt” and a
golden-edged love anthology.
There’s something inviting about the smell of new
books, and underneath the aroma, each novel also has
its own unique scent. I love how the spines have yet
to be broken; I revel in the sight of different
combinations of words arranged on the page.
The tangibility of a book also provides an odd sort of
comfort, and the thicker the better.
I rarely buy anything on these visits, but I always
come home feeling refreshed. Yesterday, I realized
that, while I had been complaining about being lonely
lately, I really hadn’t spent any time on my own for
several weeks. I was actually pining for solitude.
I also just wanted to say that I think it’s going
to be an interesting Valentine’s Day. Anything
involving love tends to be wavering and insubstantial,
but this holiday should be even weirder than usual —
chocolate hearts, love letters and dropping a bouquet
of bombs on Iraq. Yipes! I’ve also come to realize
that the more expectations you have about V-day, the
more it usually sucks. So… the only sweet thing I’ll
be anticipating this year is the mountain of chocolate
I’ll most likely consume.
Until next week.