Books: The authors make strange bedfellows

Organising books this morning after my friends re-did my office/study during my travels in America.

What a terrific surprise to come in and see a fresh re-arrangement of my spaces and tools for thinking, writing and teaching! Thanks, friends.

You should have seen the state they left it in though! Oh, everything was tidy and welcoming. I still smile every time I walk in the door. But, well, there was a type of chaos most people wouldn't have noticed.

Yes, I appreciate the peace lily near the door, kinda blocking my view of the hallway if I leave the door open.

Yes, I appreciate the placement of the fan for these muggy Auckland days.

Yes, I like the chair in the corner with the old footstool in place so I can stretch out and read by the window.

Uhmhh, the CD stand is great and I won't worry about avalanches anymore. Rachael even found all the pieces to my magnetic globe that crashed in a meteorite storm and ended up behind there last year! My intern was supposed to get to that, but she showed initiative elsewhere - anywhere but behind the filing cabinet, I think.

The chaos? So, I've got these books see; books on God, relationships, world religions, writing, people, counseling, teaching . . . lots of books. But the way my friends had left it was humourous. They had made strange bedfellows!

I saw fiction on every shelf. Salmon Rushdie was beside Ravi Zacharias! Spirituality slotted in next to investing. Leadership was interspersed with grief counseling and philosophy. It was fascinating! I wanted to leave it that way for a bit as it gave me a new perspective on who was whom and what was what, but then I casually started grouping them by author. One thing led to another and then I found the whole process underway.

I had to consider the early morning sun's path which will fade covers and dry out adhesive. One pile, on the floor in the corner is the TBE pile; To Be Eliminated. They might be passed on to someone else or donated to a thrift shop. I get kinda attached to my books, so it won't be easy to let them go. Another valuable little stack will be re-gifted, possibly this Christmas. They are treasures or possibly duplicates and better in circulation than on my shelf.

So, after two cups of Dilmah tea, I'm now on to Coke Zero. Water drips from the eves on to the deck outside the window with thuds, dinks and splats. The little fan continues its battle to move the air. I think I'm ready to shift from arranging my books to reading them. My feet hurt and I think I'll surrender to what books do so well; take me to a place of renewal and reframing.

Comments

Rachael said…
Ah, sounds like you're reconnecting...that was the plan!

xox