Relationship Blues

Ah, love.  Amour.  You have finally found the One.  In the first throes of love, everything is new.  You can't get enough.  How did you live without this?  You give friends the brush off, wanting to spend the evening or weekend with your new love.  You forget to eat, forget to sleep, the new love is so fascinating.

But after a while things start to get stale. Slowly but surely, the newness wears off.  It's the same old same old.   Yet you persevere.  Maybe this is just a phase.  Don't all relationships go through this? Things become too comfortable, like an old pair of shoes. Predictable. Dare I say, boring?

Let the library set you up on a blind date. Through the month of February, the Superior Public Library will give readers a chance to go on a blind date with a book.  We select the books, wrap them up, and you check them out.  When you get home, rip off the cover to discover something new.

What's beneath the covers?

It is very easy today for a person to stay in their own comfort zone.  Only enjoy classical music?  or country? or hip-hop?  iHeart radio, Spotify, Sirius-XM will all give you more of the same.  Want to watch sports all day, or game shows, or only listen to a certain slant on the news?  Very easy to do with so many channels available.  Gone are the days of 3 major networks, when, because of limited offerings, a person was exposed to so much.  Ed Sullivan had the Beatles and Elvis Presley on his stage, but he also had the Russian Moiseyev Dance Troupe, an interview with Fidel Castro,and Topo Gigio.  If you wanted to see one of these, you were exposed to all of them. Talk about broadening your horizons.

Yes, you can go to Goodreads or Amazon to find the next thing to read.  Computer algorithms are very good at giving us more of what we already like. And sometimes we all go on a binge, reading every book ever written by M.C. Beaton or whoever.  But a steady diet of the same old same old gets dull. Blind Date with a Book is a low-stress way to get out of your reading comfort zone.

 But really, the whole library is a low-stress way to get out of your comfort zone.  If you only watch the new release movies, wander down the documentaries aisle.  Check out a few jazz CDs.  Walk past the new fiction to the non-fiction.  Or just head over to your usual aisle, close your eyes, and put out your hand.  Check out whatever you happen upon.  It's all there for free. You won't be out anything except a little time.  And you just might find a new love.

Celebrating the Season: Winter

This period before Christmas is the time of year when I most enjoy Winter.  The snow is still a wonder-so pretty to see everything covered in that blanket of white.  The air is crisp.  The frosty scent still feels new.  In a couple of months I will be tired of moving the snow, and  it will be dirty, and the cold will have gone on too long.  For now, though, the quietness of Winter is a blessing.

This year I am taking a step back from Christmas to enjoy the season.  Maybe you want to, too.  Perhaps you are just exhausted with the whole production and want to simplify matters.  Maybe you have suffered a loss.  Or are worried about finances, or family, or whatever.  Or just sick and tired of all the commercialism and expectations that swirl around Christmas.  Winter doesn't have any of that. It is a quiet time to enjoy indoor pursuits and outdoor activities.

What could be nicer than hitting the trails on a pair of snowshoes or skis?  Or just taking a walk in the woods?  Even your own neighborhood takes on a new look in Winter.  The bare trees are lovely in their shapes against the sky.  The usual noises are muffled by the snow, and just the fact that less people are out and about because of the cold.  Some brisk exercise can be just the thing.  So can contemplative strolling. Just dress warmly!

Enthusiasts of downhill skiing and snowboarding eagerly watch the hills of Duluth to see those runs covered in snow.  Fishermen and women are checking out the depth of ice on the bay or area lakes so they can get out there and hopefully land that big one.  I always enjoy seeing the little ice houses dotting the bay as I go over the High Bridge.

After your exertions outside, a warm cup of cocoa and something hot to eat from the Crock Pot are perfect.  One of the best feelings we get, living in the Northland, is that transition from a cold outside to a warm inside.  Every room seems cozier, and home feels like a refuge.

If you can't or don't want to be outside, there are many meditative indoor pursuits.  Knitting or crocheting a warm scarf or socks is both productive and relaxing.  Google 'volunteer knitting' and you can find a home for those warm items. Of course, I always recommend reading.  And I have recently re-discovered the fun and challenge of a jigsaw puzzle.

Check out the Library's display of Winter themed books at the Blog display in the Library for more ideas and meditations on the season.  Wishing you all a peaceful, short Winter.