There are a few things that I've found during the Great Purge of 2018 and one of them was my library card. I've belonged to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library for as long as I can remember. The Sandy Springs location was where I researched and wrote many a school paper. Post-college, I was a literacy tutor for the homeless out of the downtown location. While the boys may not remember it, I have many memories of being a young Mom and escaping into the stacks while they were enthralled by storytime.
Unfortunately, my love for reading was a casualty of chemo treatments. I find that I don't follow stories as easily as I did--the words sometimes become meaningless and the ideas jumbled in my head. Cancer stole many things, but my ability to disappear into a great book is one that I still struggle to accept. #fuckcancer Long ago, I let my frustration win and I gave up novels and libraries, and instead I spent time with magazines, apps, and Facebook.
In February, when I was cleaning out my nightside table, I found my long-expired library card. Having decided that we were reclaiming those things in our lives that bring us joy, I decided it was time to add reading and the library back into my life. One afternoon later that week when I was driving #2 to work, I found myself pulling into the parking lot and getting a new card.
At checkout, a flier announced that the library is using a new app, Libby, for audiobooks & ebooks. The old system was horrible and cumbersome and, though I'm relatively savvy, I couldn't figure that stupid app out for the life of me. On the other hand, Libby is easy to use and navigate. Since I've downloaded Libby, I've read and/or listened to more books than I had in years. It's nice too because I don't have to worry about bringing the books back before they're due, since they are automatically "returned" for me.
I'm currently reading a book by Tsh Oxenreider called At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe. I was instantly drawn in by her introduction:
There is a false dichotomy spread via the modern travel section of your local bookstore: you either love to travel, and therefore throw caution to the wind...or you're happily married with kids, which means you have zero hankering to leave the suburbs and the school pickup line....I can dispel this myth. I can shout from the rooftops that you can both love to travel and be happily married with children.
Ignore the books that tell you travel is the antithesis of family.
Last Thursday, the day before we sold our house, I read Tsh's line "On the cusp of homelessness, there's no turning back." I'm pretty certain that I've never read words written that resonated more than those. Yes, I know that if we wanted to we could stop this proverbial train. However, despite the moments of panic, I don't think either C or I have been more sure of anything in a long while.
So, while we figure out our life in Valencia, we have some reassurance that "home can be anywhere."