Libraries are Awesome!

There are few places that I like more than a library, especially a well-stocked one.

We have an incredible library in our town, and last night we went to visit it again. It is the best library that I know of. Granted, previously I came from much smaller towns with much smaller libraries, but when I would come to this city to visit my grandma when I was younger, she would sometimes take us to the library to check out books on her library card.

I remember one particular summer when we visited, we were able to stay for a week. I think I read nearly 20 books. I remember that summer with fondness.

There is just something about a place dedicated to learning that makes me super happy. I walk into a library and take a deep breath and smell the wonderful scent of books. I could spend hours scanning the interior and looking through the selection.

However, last night, as Grig was taking his turn browsing books while I watched Kevin, I was letting Kevin play on the computers that they had there for children. He was playing a color game with Elmo and every time Elmo would talk, Kevin would laugh. It was really fun, and we were having a good time.

Suddenly, disaster struck! A particularly abhorrent smell wafted to my nostrils. Uh oh. I quickly checked Kevin's diaper. A minor explosion had occurred, and we had to quickly find Grig and check out. We hadn't brought a diaper bag with us (Kevin had already had two explosions that day, so we thought that we would be okay), so we drove home to clean him up.

That ended our library trip for the night, but Grig is currently reading the Percy Jackson series (that I own), and I had already made my selection before the crisis occurred. It all worked out fine.

Libraries are pretty awesome. Digital software is fine and dandy, but nothing can replace the papered word for me. I like to touch the pages, flip them back and forth, and, most importantly, smell the books. Books have a wonderful, unappreciated odor.

Yes, I may be strange, but books were my best friends for years. Now, they simply serve as an occasional break. I enjoy reading, but I do it with much more moderation now.

Moderation in all things, right?

That's something I'm learning...especially at the library where it would be so easy to grab more books than you need.