Claim Your Space
Take All The Time
My mother would take me to story-time at my local library. And while I don’t have any distinct memories of the actual stories or the librarians themselves, I still FEEL those moments in my bones, in my senses.
That certain wood and paper smell of a 70s library. The echo of my sneakers on the floor tiles. The card catalog that for a long time I had to look up at.
In particular, though, the library had one, whole, low to the ground bookshelf dedicated to Dr. Seuss with short, foot-stool-like cushioned seats for the kids to sit on. I’d park myself on one of those in front of the good Doctor and whittle away the hours.
I remember that very clearly.
And that’s the image that came back to me the other day. Little Bean had stopped by my library for a visit and after a quick hello, she bolted to the childrens room. When I finally went over to see how she was doing, the picture above is how I found her - parked on a stool in front of her favorite section, browsing and reading.
I just backed out to let her be.
I wonder if my mom felt the same when she’d left me in front of my favorite bookshelves. I’m proud of my library and our librarians for creating a comfortable space for kids like her to feel loved and safe.
No need to look over your shoulder. No need to feel rushed. Claim your space, your corner, your shelf, and dig in.
And we’ll be right there when you’re ready for the next space, the next challenge, the next step up. That’s what we do and this is why we do it. Take your time.
I love those round library stools! Saves getting one's pants dirty when browsing the stacks.
I love this! When I was a child, I suffered from asthma and couldn't go outside for recess in the winter, so teachers would send me to the school library. Sometimes I was allowed to bring a friend and we'd play board games in a corner, but often the librarian would give me a task. After teaching me how to shelve books, she'd give me a stack and point me to the right area. More than once, she found me sitting on the floor reading those books instead of putting them away! There's nothing like falling into a story and forgetting the rest of the world exists.