Library!

I have had a library card since I was eight years old. Maybe earlier, but I don't remember that. I do remember walking to our local public library when I was eight, along with my younger brother and two cousins. 

I remember wanting to read Laura Ingalls Wilder series of books that started with Little House on the Prairie but never managing to find them available in order! Today, some sixty-plus years later, I still have a library card. I've had one everywhere I've ever lived. I never did  complete the Wilder series, I suppose it's not too late!

The nature of libraries has changed quite a lot over those decades. Today, they are vibrant community centers with many roles: book lender, video lender, computer cafe, hosts for activities for young people from toddlers through teens, and beyond. Every Friday for four years, I took my grandson to the library to hang out and do activities with other elementary-school-age boys and girls. Sometimes they had special activities like Science Day. 

This is just one of the activities my local library branch hosts. 

Every Tuesday, I and about a dozen other ladies, gather to work on our projects; knitting, crochet, tatting, quilting, and whatever else is 'in progress' whether it's yarn or not! We're an equal-opportunity craft group! 

We've also had sewing night, the library has a few machines they set up. You can bring your own project, or make the small one they schedule with the provided fabrics and notions. 

If you haven't visited your library for a while, I encourage you to check them out! 

In case you're wondering, the Boise Public Library system does officially go by 'Library!' In the 1990s, a fellow here in Boise proposed adding the exclamation point to the name. It wasn't wildly popular with some people, but they came around. I loved it the first time I saw it, it made me feel the libraries were excited and exciting places to visit! 

Visit your Library! today! 

Do you visit a Senior Center?

 

A few years ago, I borrowed a fabulous The Great Courses video lecture from my public library. It was Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health with Jason M. Satterfield, Ph.D. Professor, University of California, San Francisco. 

You can see the details and purchase it here: Mind Body Medicine though it's rather expensive. You might want to check your library first and borrow it. (I am not an affiliate of The Great Courses so receive no fee if you choose to purchase this program.) 

What struck me about the program especially was Dr. Satterfield's attention to sociability, the necessity for people (not just seniors) to be around friends, have a good social support network. 

I found this incredibly valuable when I divorced at age 56 after 37 years of marriage. It was almost eerie; I'd been living alone while my husband worked out of town for a number of years, and found myself joining groups on singing, and monthly lecture groups, and getting out walking with friends a couple times each week. When the divorce came - it was quite sudden - I felt very fortunate to have this network of groups and friends as a social/emotional safety net. 

Now, a decade later, I live in Boise and have found my Senior Center to be a great place to go. They have many activities throughout the week from card playing to fitness classes, serve lunch daily (provided by Meals On Wheels), offer field trips to a lot of fun places. I've recently been to a winery, a model train museum, and have plans to participate in a dinner and holiday light display next week. (I LOVE holiday lights!) 

I also lead a monthly meditation class at the senior center, and will be speaking on a photography trip I took last month, with a slide-show of my Arches and Canyonlands National Parks sunrise and sunset photos. They are always open to suggestions on new/improved programs to offer our community.

If you have a Senior Center where you live, I hope you participate and have fun! Leave a comment and tell me about it!