all of your favorite holidays at once

One of the best things about working at a library is all the neat stuff I come across.  It's easy to take risks, and risks drive growth.  

I flip through books and take home anything that catches my eye.  A handful of those risks have altered how I speak, how I show love, how I paint and even how I breathe.  

Music is the same way.  Bagpipes and drums? Sure. Funny looking opera cd that has 10 discs? Why not?  If anything has a picture of a bird on it the odds are pretty great that it's going home with me. At first I though Foy Vance was some kind of parody of Vance Joy so I didn't even investigate it. Then I saw the beautiful swan on the cover, and it went home with me.  And what an album!  

Before I worked at the library I was a nanny and it was tough to tell who loved the books more - me or the children, but I never felt comfortable checking them out for myself.  Watching my coworkers go bananas over kid's books gave me the courage to start taking them home.  At first it was just a handful, now it's bags and bags.  

Occasionally, if it's slow at the library I'll crack one open and flip through it.  And a few times patrons will ask for a peek, which means that those kid's books end up going home with them, and hopefully making them feel a little less shy about checking them out in the future.   

Going to work each day at the library is like walking into a place that's celebrating all of your favorite holidays at once.  In addition to eccentric regulars, there is a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and excitement.  And every new cd, book or movie that looks promising is a gift that never stops giving.  

Soundtracks are on my list of favorite things.  They usually showcase a compilation of artists, which means lots of variety, which is important to me. And I almost always find someone new that makes my ears and soul happy.  

I couldn't get into the book, Me Before You, so I'm not sure I will ever watch the movie.  But I knew I had to take the soundtrack home. And I'm glad I did because it introduced me to Jack Garratt.  This song has quite the melody going on.  It's a good song to hum to, a good song to sit perfectly still with as it restores the soul after a long day's hard work, a day filled with helping others find their own Jack Garratts in the vast and never-ending stacks at the library.