This has been a difficult week as I've been bidding farewell to a great friend!The office I've spent much of my time in for the past 3 plus years is no longer a viable option. I've been spending 3 days a week at my job in the SIM Canada office in Scarborough so renewing the lease here in Peterborough didn't seem reasonable. My two colleagues moved out to other offices and different responsibilities so it was time to follow suit.
My office was a haven, a restful place where visitors always felt at home and relaxed. Packing up my books was difficult. Many of them will remain in boxes for the forseeable future.
The accents scattered throughout the office reflected my interests so well. Autographed baseball bats. Hockey sticks from great friends. Roger Neilson's picture. A special clock that the Peterborough Petes players gave me. They're in boxes now.
Friends who know me best understand this grieving process. We don't have room here at the house for any more bookshelves. We have more books than we know what to do with already. Now my books are spread out all over the place. Two bookcases filled with books line the wall of another colleagues' office. Three filled bookcases are stored in my mother's basement.
Last night for the first time in my life after carrying dozens of boxes of books, I made this statement, "I wish I only had one book, my Bible." I'm so tired of moving and slugging books. Oh well! I'll get over this...I hope!
Hi David.... sigh, I know what you're going through. I got rid of so many books before we moved-- just tried to keep the ones I love. But alas, I love a whole lot of books. Have you considered decorating with books? They can be stacked to form a table, stacked inside a grandfather clock, placed in stacks of three (or so) on top of a table with a shell on top or under a lamp. Books can be stored in drawers spine-side-up and stored that way beneath beds, too, in shallow boxes which can be pulled out. Rows of books can be placed along a high shelf running just below the ceiling and they can be stored in cupboards or closets or on shelves of end tables or coffee tables. The list is endless and is only limited by your imagination. True, it's not always as convenient to store books in these ways (takes a little longer to find the ones you want to read again), but it's still much better than storing them in boxes in a garage or storage unit. Hope this helps. From one book lover to another--hang in there! :) Debra
ReplyDeleteI do understand as it is nice to have a safe place to think and just be- but knowing you from your writing - you will adapt quickly to a new space some where some time-
ReplyDeleteI am a book lover too and have gone through many of my old friends and let go-- yes- remember the song= B I B L E- that is the book for me
at least I think that was a song as it is playing in my head
when I gave my books away as down sizing became a must I prayed that they would bless some one else and one of the books was found by a lady who called me- ( I had missed removing my name from this book) and asked about our church and started coming so indeed they were blessings- I am very careful of what I read so feel freedom in giving them away- to a charity that makes money for kids to have teddy bears if they have family sadness-