Visiting My Childhood Library

Today I went to my childhood library. It’s been two years or maybe more since I’ve been. Everytime I visit I can’t help grinning like an idiot. Although so much has changed, the echoes that bounce of the walls as I enter the high-ceilinged hallway, the smell of old books, and the excitement in my stomach, all remain the same from 15 years back.

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Today I felt like I took a trip down memory lane when standing in line to take out books. In front of me stood a mother with two young girls. The two young girls were clutching their books and plushy toys, chattering animatedly to eachother, as their mum piled their books to scan onto the counter. 1, 2, 3…14,15,16. The books weren’t stopping. One by one she carried on adding to the pile.

I saw 7 year old me and her old sister flash before my eyes. I saw us leaning eagerly across the counter, watching the librarian scan one book after the next. I saw us excitedly walking back home, lugging with us piles of books as tall as ourselves.

Sundays were the best days of the week because Sunday was library day. Rain or snow, we were at the library almost every Sunday, handing in 20 books and taking out another 20. We’d race home to snuggle on the sofas ready to devour a new stack.

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I miss that. There’s no better feeling than finishing a book in one sittting and picking up another book in the pile that’s sitting next to you. This was so normal for 7 year old me.

It saddens me that, although I crave that feeling again, a small part of me worries that this is no longer possible. Yes, I can blame the size and contents of my books for being the sole cause of not allowing me to read through as many books as I used to. But, I know that’s not the only reason.

It’s my attention span. It’s embarrassing to say, but I don’t think my atention span is as good as 7-year old me. I can still read for hours easily but not as long as before. And not without touching my phone a few times in between.

But I want to try it out! I want to try getting that feeling of pure joy I had as a 7 year old with her books. I want to sit with one book but have another three piled next to me for me to reach out to as I turn the final pages of the one in my hand.

Well, I guess I’ve found myself a new Summer 2021 bucket list idea then — a date with a few good ol’ paperbacks and a cuppa (I mean a chaii), with my phone safely tucked away.