Hello friends! How’s everyone doing? Has anyone done anything fun and entertaining that you want to share? Since being home, I have watched funny videos of families recreating music videos:
https://www.1035bobfm.com/2020/04/17/family-recreates-a-classic-80s-video-and-its-radical/
dancing together:
posing for funny pictures:
people being creative with cooking or art, learning a skill, taking the time to exercise – and I think “I want to do something like that!” And then I go back to reading or watching videos that make me laugh until I cry:
And you know what? That’s okay. We’re all doing this socially separate thing differently, and honestly, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it. But lately I’ve definitely let some fear and stress start to dominate my thoughts, and while I know that’s counter-productive, sometimes it’s hard to stop the spiral.
To try and get centered again, I want to focus on gratitude, and being thankful for the things we have. I have a lot to be grateful for, and one of the biggest ones is our library, and the community we are building. It was a struggle for a long time, but our library persevered and we are not only still here, but growing and thriving.
I am grateful for the community and the Town of Florida for our space, our physical building. It was almost impossible for us to find a suitable place when we needed to move locations, but the Town was there for us. Thank you.
I am grateful for all of the Board members who were there before me, who nurtured and grew the library – when the library first opened in 1927 it was open for about 6 hours a week, and had maybe 40 books? (I would look up the actual numbers, but that’s at the library and…I am not there.) Now we’re open 6 DAYS a week, and between our own collection and the access we have to all of the other libraries in our system, there’s about 700,000 books and media our patrons can borrow!
Our current Board members (some of whom have been on the Board for over 40 years!) work hard, provide support and ideas, talk me down when I *might* be stressing a little too much, and are supportive and generous. No one could ask for anything better. Thank you.
I’m grateful for the amazing staff we have – they are creative, hard-working, fun, imaginative, and did I mention creative? The library looks amazing! (Did I mention how creative they are?) I can’t wait for us to re-open so everyone can see our space! Thank you.
Lastly, but so very important, I am grateful for you, our patrons, our friends, our family. You recognize the value a library offers. You value books and media and good conversation and are always there with a story, a book recommendation, or a friendly smile. Thank you.
At the end of the day, what more could a person need? Thank you for celebrating National Library Week with us, I hope you are able to have a restful weekend, and let’s all try to carry gratitude and grace with us into the coming weeks. Stay safe, wash your hands, watch or listen to something that makes you laugh until you cry, and please – reach out to someone if you’re struggling. You’re not alone.