Reflection #4
I’m pretty certain that every time I have prepared for a move, I have packed my books first. Partly because they are the easiest things to pack into boxes and I feel like I’m making real progress as they disappear from the shelves. Did I mention that I hate packing?
Packing up the books also forces me to purge the titles that are no longer serving me. I do believe that books are intended to serve us. As C.S. Lewis states, “We read to know that we’re not alone.” Books are so critical in ushering us through so many phases in life, even if it is merely a phase of complete and utter boredom.
In order for books to be of service, they must come into our lives with perfect timing and that they do. I love those moments when I’m talking to someone about something going on in my life and they say, “There’s a great book I read about that.” or I’m sitting on a train and I see someone reading a book that resonates and I know I’m supposed to have it. My next stop is usually the bookstore. The synchronicity of books is a beautiful thing.
While I was packing up my books this time around, I had an unexpected, yet perfectly timed, magical moment with an old book. A book I read about twenty years ago, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron is a course in recovering one’s creative self. The first time I read it, I was in my mid-twenties and really cannot remember what motivated me at that time. Now, as I’m facing a huge life transition, including a career transition, this book could not have found me at a better time. I felt like I ran into an old friend.
To anyone reading this, I’d like to invite you to have a little fun. Go to your bookcase or your local bookstore and allow yourself to be led by the things weighing on your spirit. Or if you’re sitting on a train or a bus, look around and see if anyone is reading something that catches your eye. Allow yourself to be open to the perfect timing of books. If you are so moved, share a comment on this post of what you found.
And if you’re not a reader . . .well, here are some words of wisdom that may get you to reconsider. . .
“If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t f**k them. Don’t sleep with people who don’t read!”–John Waters
