lucky coins

Yesterday a patron approached the desk and declared I love the library.  I love this library!

After helping him find a few dvds and checking them out for him he pulled out a huge handful of coins.  Foreign coins.

Pick one, he said.  These coins are lucky.  

Oh no thank you, I said.

What about this one? he asked while pushing it closer.  It's from Singapore.

That's very kind of you but no thanks.  

I like to give coins away.  Come on take one.  Take this one.  It's in Hebrew.  

Admitting defeat, I said thanks and hoped that was the end of it.  

Nope, he took another coin, flicked it far away and said, that's a bit of luck for someone else.

I gave the Hebrew coin to a coworker to put in our display collection and told her about the eccentric gentleman, finishing with an unsure, how are we ever going to find the other one? 

My coworker, who's worked at the library much longer than me, didn't even marvel at this particular eccentric gentleman.  She just sighed and started searching the floor for the coin that we were both sure a small child was going to find.  

Thankfully, after a few minutes, my coworker found it and tossed it into our ever-growing display collection, where the two coins will collect dust and radiate dim luck to the hands that briefly consider implementing two small coins into a display before realizing the work involved and dropping them back in the box.  

Interestingly enough, the gentleman was right about the lucky coins, because I took a bit of that luck with me and had a most wonderful evening...

MEETING SUSAN BRANCH!

Yep, I met the wonderful Susan Branch during a book talk last night, and she is every bit as vivacious as her words and paintings imply.  And her husband, Joe, was there too, and I wasn't the only one who squealed when he was first spotted taking pictures before Susan came out.

When Susan signed my book I thanked her for commenting on my review and told her how much it meant to me.  Her husband, who was taking our picture, stopped what he was doing and told me how much he liked my review (Susan liked it too), and that it nearly made him cry.  

I was so elated that my heart nearly flew out of my chest.  

To top the whole night off I worked up the courage to invite Nan, a retired librarian who now volunteers at a branch I used to work at.  I knew Nan loved Susan Branch because she had a couple of her books on hold.  So I invited Nan and she said yes and we had lots of great conversation and library talk, and when I dropped her off her husband came out to say hi and he was the guy I see all the time walking his dogs but never had the courage to say hi to!  It was like meeting many celebrities in one evening.  As we stood outside talking a neighborhood cat started weaving through my legs, and I just stood there thinking, this is one of the best days of my life.  

This is me and Susan Branch!  I know I look a little crazy with excitement here, and it's true.  I totally understand now why some people get a little weirded out when I get excited.  But I will cherish last night and this picture forever.