Working in a small community library isn't always a quiet, pleasant experience. Most people think that I spend my days reading, but - unfortunately, sometimes - large chunks of my day are taken up by dealing with people.
I think people see library people the same way as they see their hairdressers. Because reading is such a personal part of most people's lives, they reckon that by being able to suggest the right books at the right time, I might also have special insight into the rest of their lives. I probably do. But being a lay therapist is really, really exhausting.
I know who sleeps with whom. I know whose grandkids are colicky or have just finished their potty training or high school career. I know who had to arrange a shotgun wedding and whose son is in rehab for the squillionth time. (Yes, I know that's not a real word - it just sounds nice!) I know who "runs into doors" frequently and whose husbands drink and gamble away the household money.
The positive side is that I also see the success stories. The battles won against cancer and drug addictions. The women who leave their abusive spouses and come back a year or two later sporting wide and genuine smiles. The couples who make a genuine go of their marriages, despite the odds and misgivings at the start of their journey together.
So that would probably make me the community hub. I don't mind. I don't have a television at home. Sometimes life is better than a soap opera.
I think people see library people the same way as they see their hairdressers. Because reading is such a personal part of most people's lives, they reckon that by being able to suggest the right books at the right time, I might also have special insight into the rest of their lives. I probably do. But being a lay therapist is really, really exhausting.
I know who sleeps with whom. I know whose grandkids are colicky or have just finished their potty training or high school career. I know who had to arrange a shotgun wedding and whose son is in rehab for the squillionth time. (Yes, I know that's not a real word - it just sounds nice!) I know who "runs into doors" frequently and whose husbands drink and gamble away the household money.
The positive side is that I also see the success stories. The battles won against cancer and drug addictions. The women who leave their abusive spouses and come back a year or two later sporting wide and genuine smiles. The couples who make a genuine go of their marriages, despite the odds and misgivings at the start of their journey together.
So that would probably make me the community hub. I don't mind. I don't have a television at home. Sometimes life is better than a soap opera.
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