library love (and other phases)

one of the best things about reading the work of excellent writers is that they sometimes illuminate something inside you that you couldn't quite pinpoint. hali bey of concrete magnolia, one of my favorite blogs, did that for me this morning, and i'll tell you how.

in her post this morning about the library, she talks about going through phases. here is what she says:

"i am a person who goes through phases, i become interested in things, pledge loyalty, earn the badge and take on a new name and for some time, this new thing will become so much apart of me."

to me, her thoughts express perfectly how, for people that move in and out of loves and obsessions and discoveries, a phase is so much more than a fleeting time -- it becomes a part of who you are and who you become, even if the love for that thing itself lays dormant for a time, or changes and means something different at one point in life than it did at another. hali's post on the library tells that story.

and funnily enough, the thought it brought me to was about my own library experience. my love for the library feels so strong and important right now, and yesterday as we drove by the beautiful building, mitchell pointed at it and said "your favorite place!" and i felt so content in that moment - content that my love and allegiance to this old-but-new place was known and validated, and even more than content that i share my life with someone who feels the gravity of my phases, of how they become a part of me, and loves them for me, and through me, and right along with me.

photo from www.concretemagnolia.com