Human Library

 

Everybody has a story.

It might be an adventure. It might be romance. It might be a do-it-yourself. It might be educational. It might be fiction. It might be technical. It might be creative. It might be philosophical. It might be about family. It might be about animals. It might be about travel. It might be about cooking. It might be about health. It might be about fashion. It might be lyrical. It might be terrifying. It might be funny. It might be political. It might be uninteresting and a waste-of-time.

Like all the books in a library, we categorize each individual we meet. Some we just skim through while others are favorites. Some stories are cherished and some become boring and are put back on the shelf. Some might have a surprise ending while others are predictable. Some might be stimulating while others are just leisurely distraction. Some might be made into glamorous spectacular movies while others might become comic pulps.

Recently, I cleaned out my library.

I’ve carried these books for years from place to place. I’ve had custom bookshelves made and categorized them carefully in order to find easily. I even formed a database to be able to check by author or title to remind myself of references.

A library gives you comfort to know you always have an option to social media or video screens. There is nothing better on a rainy day than to curl up with a good book.

At a certain time, you’ve read all the books. You’ve looked at all the pictures. You have enjoyed what someone else wrote that impressed you enough to purchase the book, but now is it like an old conversation heard too many times.

Books are heavy; they take up space and get covered in dust.

So I donated most of my library with the intention of books finding new readers with stories and images that I enjoyed. Some may be out-of-print rarities while others might be vintage editions that have annotated.

I’ve also gone through my contact list. Some names are forgotten. Some addresses and phone numbers are from years ago and are probably wrong now. Even businesses have changed names or moved.

Downsizing is cleaning out the closets.

I’ve been cleaning out my human library.