Love in the Library 
Many years ago, Jimmy Buffett wrote a song called “Love in the Library” about two people who would never talk, just exchanged glances in the library. I love that song. But I never thought my own version of falling in love in the library would come true.
I’ve always loved books, reading and learning. I even worked in the library once. (Sidenote, working in a library when you’re going to school is a great way to get paid to study!)
But I never thought I would find my own love in the library. Honestly, I never even occurred to me to go to the library to look for love.
A few years ago after moving to a new town and parking in the library parking lot almost every day – the library and the dog park share a parking lot – I thought maybe I should go into the library. Just to see what they had to offer.
The entrance to our library is nothing special. Sliding doors, small pile carpet, bathrooms, a few meeting rooms, a sleepy security guard, and of course plenty of books. There is one beautiful glass sculpture hanging on the ceiling. It’s a Chihuly. An amazing artist, if you don’t know about his gorgeous artworks and pieces of glass, I highly encourage you to look him up.
But this is just an ordinary library. Nothing special, just a good ole fashion public library.
Soon I found myself wandering through the stacks, looking at books, checking out different authors, holding the books and it became like a love affair. I love sitting at the library reading, watching the different people come in and out what they chose to read or sit and do. The people watching with books. It was magical.
My introverted self loves a quite space and a library where your voice must remand quite it perfect for me. So back to this love affair. It started with books. Other people’s stories and idea, some real, some made-up and some you just don’t know. All these books with some much knowledge and emotion. All put together in neat little shelves and waiting for people to read and share. But the love of book was only amplified by being a part of this space where so many people came to read or just be.
The day I notice my own personal love affairs with the library, was the same as some many before and after it. I was there to “work”, but after a bit of time I just needed to stretch my legs and move. As I walked around the library, I notice so much good and love in the humans around me. Some read the newspaper in semi-recliner and others upright at desks clicking away at laptops. So much collective humanness all in a one space for so many different reasons and purposes. I was a wonderfully interesting energetic collective.
Really the love affair was not only with the millions of stories the books on the shelves but with the people; how they enjoyed the stories and used this average public library for their own personal sanctuary. The love of people coming together to use a space and share different opinions, thoughts, and feelings. But doing it in a calm, quiet and pleasant way with each other. The love affair brings me hope for what could be.
I hope you create a love affair that brings you internal peace, love and joy just like my library does for me.
