The simplest things bring me joy right now. The library is one of them.
If you haven’t already heard, the Orcas Library is open to the public – up to 20 people can be in there for 20 minutes each from 12-3 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
It sounds minor, but it’s not! Go! There are few things that bring a sense of normalcy right now, and even though you can’t read the day away in there, it will give you an emotional boost – a reminder of how life felt pre-COVID.
For many moons after March of last year, the library staff made heroic efforts to bring the shelves outdoors so that patrons could pick from the books out in front on days that weren’t rainy. They fulfilled holds we put online, greeted us with friendly faces, and welcomed us to stay and peruse in the open air. In short, they gave us something to do; something to look forward to; knowledge to gain; people to see.
The first time they opened their doors again, I felt this rush of giddiness that I didn’t expect upon walking down those familiar aisles. It wasn’t just the books. We haven’t been in anyone’s homes since all of this isolation began. The library is like an extension of my comfortability zone; a place I love to be; a warm, light, airy space where my creativity soars. I love the stimulation it gives me from all of the new ideas.
The people are so welcoming, too. I walked in there the other day and four people said kind things to me in the space of 20 seconds. Normal, right? Yeah, in normal times. But in these times, when you sometimes don’t see anyone all day, it’s a major emotional boost to see nice human beings who know your name and smile at you! As I read that sentence again, I think, “What a weird time we’re in, to write such a strange thing!” But it’s true.
Something our family probably wouldn’t have done if not for the pandemic is play a lot of board games. We usually go to the library for books, but thanks to the library’s growing collection of games for these times, we are having a ball acquainting ourselves with new ones. Even the old ones like Connect Four are getting a lot of play in our house right now. Perfect for short interim periods between dinner, dishes, and bedtime.
Not only is the library keeping current with their releases, they’ve also been busy with their interiors. Check out the new enclosure they’ve made for the young adult section, and look at the beautiful custom wood counters and lights they’ve installed where the old entrance used to be. I love the forward thinking. It’s so nice to see productivity continuing, as people are looking beyond these pandemic times to a future filled with human activity again.
Go check out the library for a taste of normalcy, a chat with nice human beings, and a feeling that life is moving on past COVID’s isolation. Thank you to Phil, Holly, Jenny, Lovella, Lynn, Rhett, Pam, and all of you there who keep on keeping on!
Thanks for the kind words, Edee. We missed you too!