Can one imagine a place where the beauty is breathtaking, the mind can alter its perspective, and that one person can be whomever they wish? I have lived as a princess, died as a hero, and cried for the lost. Can you name the place that I am referring to? No? Well let me elaborate further… The paintings inside are filled with life, with their elaborate colors that brighten up the surroundings as one walks by them. It’s amazing to me how one person can make a basket of fruit look so inviting just by painting it, or flowers that smell so sweet just by looking at them. The neat thing about these art creations is that they were done by local students instead of professionals. The community is just that, a large group of people who support each other and encourage one another by engaging in a unity. Next on our journey, beyond the corridor, we come to the most wonderful sense of purpose, to acknowledge the reason for the arrival in the first place. Have you guessed what my favorite place it so far? No? O.K moving on… Imagine yourself standing in the middle of the past, present and future and it is up to you to decide what tense you would like to take the journey on. For me, that is the most challenging, debatable, and the most fearful choice that I make while I am standing in the middle of that space. I ask myself who I want to become to escape my fears, problems, inhibitions, or do I strive for my dreams, goal, and ambitions. This is a choice that I make alone. I do not ask anyone to go with me, nor do I take anyone with me. This is my time. With my life being busy and sometimes out of control, I grasp at the chance for “me time.” Most moms take baths, go on walks, meditate, etc... I go here. I don’t have to be a mom, wife, sister, daughter, or any other person that makes me a part of humanity. I can become anything, anyone, and go anywhere that I so chose to and take adventures that I cannot do otherwise. Can you guess where I am standing that gives me those types of opportunities? I will tell you now. My favorite place to achieve a sense of purpose is the LIBRARY. Isn’t that funny? I have always loved the going to the library ever since I was six years old and could read books other than Dr. Seuss. It was my escape route from the living because my home life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. When I went there, I didn’t have to think about what would be waiting for me when I got back. I pretended that I was anybody else and lived vicariously through those people I so dream of becoming one day. People get high on drugs. Once I walked through the doors, I can smell the vinyl on books and get a rush of excitement. I gained a lot of my being from books as well as the ambition to carry that down through my kids. I take the kids with me on occasion. On certain days, I go are just for me and me alone. Now that I have let you in as part of my adventure, I will leave with a quote that I got from reading a book and have lived by this quote just as I have made my kids accept this as a rule of my house… “No one can make you feel inferior Without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt |