I Live Here

I once walked-in on a conversation between my then-boss and colleague, and was asked "What is the first thing you do when you move to a new town?" I answered, "Get a library card." Judging by their expressions, I didn't provide the tie-breaking answer they were looking for.

It's true, though. I've never felt like a belonged to a town or city until I had a library card. It seems outdated, I know, but libraries are amazing! You can borrow books - paper or electronic - for free. TV shows and movies are available on DVD - not everything can be on Netflix. And they offer a variety of other community services, too. See? Amazing!

So in honor of hitting the date I had originally planned to return to Chicago, I drove myself over to my local library and registered for a card.

Stripes!

Apparently they've come a long way from the laminated, colored paper I had last had at my last library! 

I wandered about, scanned the books and pulled a few off the shelves that I'd read previously. I ended at an astrology book I'd enjoyed as a teenager. Opening it to the date of my birthday, I read the following:

"Ordinary life does not hold a great fascination for those born on this day, and they quickly become bored by the mundane. In the case of August 6 people tied to ordinary jobs or less-than-stellar family situations, there is a danger that they will retreat into a fantasy world to get their kicks. There is also a good chance that following years of deep frustration and angst they may finally decide to leave their stability behind and set out in search of new horizons. After making such drastic changes, an August 6 person may realize that he/she was never cut out for a settled life after all. Some born on this day day may feel a measure of bitterness that they didn't make the discovery sooner."

I wasn't bitter when I read this, I was floored. I couldn't decide if I needed to renew my belief in astrology or if reading this as a teenager had subliminally planted the idea in my brain to someday wander about in my car. Either way, it's quite accurate, isn't it?!

But the wandering is done for now and I continue to adjust to life back in my hometown. After all, I officially live here now. I have a library card.