Sunday Salon: Packing Books

I'm leaving tomorrow on a two-week vacation, and I haven't packed a single thing.  All I can think about (apart from earthquakes and tsunamis) is books.  I'm sure you're floored at the thought...(as if this isn't a common bibliovore conundrum).  Part of this, of course, is a matter of not wanting to be without reading material.  But that's not the whole issue--after all, there are book stores all over, never mind at the tip of my fingers when my Kindle is in hand.  Regardless of where I am, books are accessible.

There is mood to consider, which is affected by quantity and quality of reading time.  What will I be wanting to read?  How much will I able to focus?  For any serious reader, there is also the consideration of goals, deadlines, and TBR lists.  If I'm going to read, I usually want to read something that is already on my mind, on my radar, on my nightstand, or on my list.

But books are more than a goal to me.  They are more than a story, more than the sum of their parts.  They are representative of family and home, adventure and creativity--all that is right in the world, even if it is shown by illuminating that which is dreadfully wrong.  Books are a declaration of life, an insistence that people matter, a celebration of the imagination.  They are symbol showing that even when all else fails, we have the ability to make a difference, to create hope where none existed.

That is the bigger reason why I keep stacks of books around me, why I carry them wherever I go.  Entertainment? Certainly.  But also a reminder that within our many differences lies a common ground.  Inside each book is a chance to see the world through someone else's eyes, to see something new or remember something old.  In some sense, these keep me tied to family that isn't nearby, they help me think and grow.

I'm sure I'll bring many more books than I'll be able to get through (I always do) but I don't mind.  I prefer it that way.  There is always another dream to dream, always another book to read.  Adventure lies just around the corner.