Book Brothers is the kind of bookstore where you might enjoy being stranded some winter day. That’s because this store is packed from floor to ceiling with a huge collection of books to consider.
The bad news is that there’s almost too much to see.
They have a huge selection of classics, art, history, philosophy, contemporary fiction and more. Plus, there’s cool non-book stuff to see.
They take cash and plastic and are located in downtown Lakewood, Ohio. Check them out!
If you drove past my house Saturday morning you might have seen me peering at the sunroof on my car with an empty envelope in hand which I was holding at an especially odd angle. There’s no good way to explain some of the things I do.
On that day though, I was trying to save a life.
This sharply dressed guy was seemingly taking a nap on the sunroof and I didn’t want him to get hurt when I went cruising down the road.
I had to Google it but it seems he is a net-winged beetle. That’s not a very exciting name for such a cool looking creature. From here on, I’ll call him Beau.
Beau the Beetle has a nice ring.
It took a few tries but I finally was able to persuade Beau up onto the envelope and he eventually took flight toward the Black Eyed Susans near my back walk.
Imagine waking up to some giant you’ve never met, trying to force you out of where you want to be! Poor guy!
It takes very little to help the small creatures of our world or to at least not do them harm. It’s Monday, friends. Let’s try to do no harm.
Here’s one of my travel rules: if you’re in a city, always look for ways to get a view from up higher.
The best place to do that in Cleveland is at Terminal Tower but they were closed when we were there. So, we made do with a good view of one street from the Louis Stokes wing of the downtown library. We started at the main library building and then followed a tunnel beneath a reading garden to access the Louis Stokes wing.
This library is a lovely place to visit if you get a chance!
Have you heard of glimmers?
As I consider my own gratitudes, exhaustion, and seeking ways to soften my own life, I find this concept has been a recurring theme.
The general idea is that a glimmer is something small that sparks joy in your life. We are tallkjng about the truly small things like that first sip of hot chocolate on a fall evening, catching sight of the full moon, or hearing laughter from afar.
Glimmers usually aren’t typically planned although I suppose they could be. They are incredibly good for our mental health because they are small reminders that life isn’t so bad and they help us build emotional resilience.
When you see the good in the world, you assume there is more good beyond what you see. There’s something positive around the next corner.
A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. While triggers are the small things that irritate us and fire up lots of negativity, sadness and anger, glimmers will calm and soothe. They make us happy. They make us smile. They spark creativity and joy.
This week has not been the best but I have been enjoying some glimmers here and there. One day this week I was waiting my turn at a busy intersection and happened to look over to see a little bird splashing in a mud puddle at the side of the road. That little guy was experiencing pure bliss, splashing, ducking under the water, and spinning around before splashing some more!
That same day, I saw a beautiful rabbit in a neighbor’s yard.
I was on the road for work yesterday and experienced construction and traffic delays in multiple locations. As I headed home, I impulsively drove right past my turn to come home and headed to the Dollar General down the road. Whoever owns the field next to that store has planted it with sunflowers. It’s a glorious display of sunflowers right there along a busy state route.
My pictures are terrible because I didn’t want to trespass and had to aim my phone camera through some brush and the iPhone camera isn’t great. Still, isn’t it lovely to think that someone would plant such a beautiful display of flowers just to give me a glimmer one August day?
Look around you, friends. There are glimmers everywhere. You just have to know how to spot them!
“She did not want to move, or to speak. She wanted to rest, to lean, to dream. She felt very tired.”
Virginia Woolf
Do you ever think about getting in the car and driving to an airport and getting on a plane bound for literally anywhere else?
I’m not sure when it happened but I hit a wall this week. I don’t want to rest like Virginia Woolf. Instead, I need some adventure and joy in my life, pronto. Meanwhile, I’ll continue fantasizing about one way tickets.
Wherever you are, go seek some adventure if time permits. And, if it doesn’t, let’s just keep muddling through! Shall we? it’s really all we can do.
PS- this photo was from a brief but peaceful moment at Lake Erie last month!