Reading commenses

"But I do know that the joys in life are not in the destination but in the unsought surprises along the way." -- Jim Bellows, The Last Editor

This quote from Bellows comes in the introduction of a book he co-wrote, covering his 60-odd years in the newspaper industry. And it came only a few minutes into the first book I picked to work my way toward No. 19 on my list, Read one book a month.

It was like a little fortune.

I'd had no right to expect No. 19 to do anything other than fulfill itself plainly. I planned to start picking through the books Patrick has collected. But today I found myself unexpectedly on my way to my favorite little coffee shop downtown (working my way through No. 22: Spend one evening or morning a week at a coffee shop); and I found myself walking the somewhat long distance just as I also needed to (I'm afraid there is no eloquent way to put it) use the bathroom; and I found that I was passing the library at just the moment I was thinking I couldn't go any further.

The smell of the library reached the sidewalk, before I even neared the door. These places smell a certain way. And it's not just the books. Barnes and Noble does not smell like a library. Maybe it's the plastic and glue that goes into preserving the book covers.

But smell, as it always does, brought back distinct memories. This time of reading stacks of children's books (flipping through them, more like it; I never was a big reader). And it occurred to me that I haven't used a public library since middle school. High school at the latest.

It also occurred to me that if I was heading to the coffee shop, I'd be in a great place to start diving into No. 19.

So I walked up and down the aisles of the Knox County library (being reminded that the organization in libraries is much broader than in Barnes and Noble; that Dewey's decimal system is the key to truly finding what you're looking for). I was overwhelmed by the sea of books. I picked up a few but wasn't intrigued enough to read past the first paragraphs.

As I was heading toward the door, I saw The Last Editor. It caught my eye; I laughed at the idea of plunging into a book about newspapers when the industry is in such poor shape. But the early part of my career was as a copy editor and working with editors of all stripes who were energizing or maddening or inspiring. All three sometimes.

So I picked it up. And I walked to the front desk and filled out the paperwork for a Knox County library card. (Starting July 22, they'll offer their feature film DVDs for free! And I'll be able to keep a book for three weeks before having to renew it!)

What a spark. What an unexpected new thing to reveal itself. It's made me wonder if all (or at least many) of my 101s will provide me these little surprises.

I walked from the library to my coffee shop and found myself in a mood to notice things all along the way. I won't go into the details, because they would be too dull to relate, but I had a distinct sense that, as watchful as I am by nature, I was seeing things that I had never noticed.

So far, The Last Editor is a good read, and Mr. Bellows is an inspiration. Here's to 1,000 more days like this one.