Books. There are so many books that it's overwhelming. They are sectioned. Organized. Labeled. Labeled and set aside just like people, too often, are as well. Just like books, we are given labels and seemingly told where we fit in and who we belong with. Sometimes, like books, we are just put there, expected to stay, to be of benefit in that certain area. As I walk I notice a book. It is misplaced. It is not meant to be in this spot. Does the book notice that it is surrounded by unfamiliar authors and subjects? Is it aware of the loss of importance it is suffering by being in the wrong space? Or is it lost, so desperately trying to find the way back to it's regular place on the shelf? I grab it. As I look at the book I think about all the people that are in a similar space as this batch of loose paper bound together with a dark covering. So many people must be like this book. Feeling lost. Feeling like they are surrounded entirely by people that they cannot relate to, that they do not belong with. People can feel unimportant. But are they actually unimportant? Or are they just feeling so, because they are not where they are intended to be? Like a book misplaced on the shelf, people can get lost in the shuffle of the day to day life, and end up feeling useless somewhere along the way.
Stories. The library is full of stories. There are many stories that are alike, but there are no two books in here that are exactly the same. Stories, like people can be similar, but they are never identical. In here these is an entire universe of peoples' stories, some of their own, some not. Every single story is important. Every story matters. Every book has a meaning.
What's amazing about a book is that the words never change. Once written, it stays the same way forever. However, people can internalize and interpret the same book differently. Words are powerful, and they all mean something different to each of us. A good book is one of wish you feel you are in it. You feel a connection to the people, the characters. The ending of the book is like a good-bye to a friend. You feel a loss when you are finished. To feel that connected to words on a piece of paper is so powerful. We can enter another world, meet new people, without even leaving this building.
Books are like people. Some are brand new with a cover protector. Some were placed in the wrong section, while others stay in the same spot waiting for someone to find them. Some books bring interest to a person, while someone else may not enjoy it. Some are a quick read, while some might take awhile to get through it. But no matter what, ever all have somewhere we belong, somewhere where we matter, a place someone searches for us, and an entire world to share with the people who surround us.
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