Some days feel monotonous. Today is one of those days. I wake up, eat the same food, work at the same desk, talk to the same people, and go to bed at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to be alive, but sometimes it’s maddeningly boring. While I risk sounding melodramatic, I’m going to say it—today is BLEH. I try to accept bad days and sluggish feelings rather than pretend I’m filled with rainbow dust and unicorn glitter.
On days like this, I have a simple antidote: I make my way to a bookstore. Going there feels like an attack on the monotony. Sometimes I just stand in the aisles and close my eyes, imagining the possibilities that surround me. It’s the only place that still feels magical. There are stacks of books in the corner with cats asleep on the shelves. The rain taps quietly on the windows while the store owner brews a cup of coffee and turns the page of her book. The customers aren’t “shoppers” here like they would be in other stores. Instead, they’re “browsers,” slowly taking their time as if nothing in the world mattered. They’re my kind of people. A bookstore brings me joy (and poverty) while the rest of the world plods on, same as it always has.
I run my fingers across the books, breathe deep, and wonder to myself, “What will I read today?”
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
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