The day was not going well. I was running late, had too many errands and the sky was overcast and gloomy. As I careened through town doing this and that, muttering about my fate, I drove past the Grand Marais Public Library.
On impulse, I skidded to a stop, suddenly craving the peace and quiet I always find in a library. Another thought struck. Why not check out a real book, one I could actually hold in my hands? Most of the time I use an E Reader and love it, but every now and then the need to read a “real” book hits.
The minute I walked through the library doors into the hushed room, I felt calmer. A few folks browsed through the stacks, others worked at library computers or used their personal computers. A mother helped her toddler choose a book. Other patrons, desiring total silence, sat in the “quiet” room where a variety of magazines and newspapers is provided by the library.
I took a deep breath, at home in my favorite refuge, filled with the peace and security I’ve always felt in libraries, beginning with Keewaydin Elementary. Library Day was one of my favorite days. I’d check out as many books as allowed and listen carefully to any and all instructions given by the librarian including the fate awaiting me if I allowed a book to be overdue.
As I grew older and able to travel around on my bike, another library entered my life. Longfellow Library situated on the banks of Minnehaha Creek was my new favorite. My neighborhood friends and I hopped on our bikes and pedaled the mile or so to this beautiful old home that had been transitioned into a library. It smelled of books and floor polish. Sun filtered through high, stained glass windows, and the books were too numerous to count.
Eventually I found myself on the heavily populated campus of the University of Minnesota and a new haven – Walter Library. Although it was huge, I managed to find a study area and planted myself there whenever the need arose.
When Dick and I spent a year in the woods on Tucker Lake, I always stopped at the little cement block building on Second Street and West First Avenue, the old Grand Marais Library. I’d check out books to be returned on our next grocery run to town. Since we came in twice a month, it worked perfectly.
That brings me up to today. I quietly checked out two books and brought them home, feeling serene. By the time I finished both books, I was ready to use my E Reader again.
If you’re lucky you’ll have some type of a refuge. Mine happens to be libraries.
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