Friday, April 06, 2007

A Painful Parting

I apologize if you came here expecting to read bad news. It's not, really. I'm not moving. None of my dear friends are moving (at least they better not be). I haven't lost anything of great value.

It's just that I have this crazy idea in my head to paint my livingroom while I'm off this week. And so I started the tedious prep work of packing stuff away. This morning I tackled the bookcase in my livingroom. I swear I was short of breath and not just from carrying handfuls of books downstairs. It's just that the thought of being separated from my books for even a week pains me!

Even as I was packing them in boxes, I grabbed a few and brought them back upstairs. Like I'm going to try a new bread recipe this week? Right. Well, I might actually write that book review that's been on my mind. And I just might want to review my journal from last year. And I shouldn't pack away the books my friend just loaned me or the borrowed library book.

Does anyone else experience heart palpitations over your books? Possibly part of it was just resisting the urge to halt all redecorating plans and just spend my vacation week camped out on the La-Z-Boy recliner in the gameroom instead! Part of it was realizing how many more books I have than I have time to read.

Sigh. I'll miss my dear friends this week. And knowing how my projects often go, it may be a few weeks or even a month before they're back in their rightful place on my shelf. I'm sure if they could speak, they'd confess anxiety over fears that I might get a pitching spell and get rid of some of them. Nah. Not now. I'll let them hang out in their boxes together for comfort, and when my poor little arms can't lift the paint roller again to save my life, I'll sneak downstairs and rummage through the boxes and welcome the sight of old friends.

10 comments:

Susanne said...

Oh, I so relate! I wish I had one of those floor to ceiling, wall to wall libraries in my home. That'd be heaven.

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane said...

I am the same way. I love my books, love to look at them, love to go through them, love to have them nearby "just in case". When they're loaned out, I worry about them :)

Good luck on the painting project -hope it goes well and quickly so your beloved books can come home soon!

gail@more than a song said...

I relate too! I took like 4 books with me on our ski trip & we were only gone 5 days, but I was afraid of not liking 1 of them and I did NOT want to be without something to read. Then tonight I read in our once a week town paper that our town library would be (gasp) CLOSED all next week! Yikes! And I might not even go but just the idea that I CAN'T go makes me all twitchy. I might have to make a run there in the morning before they close at noon to see if there's something I want.

Fishing Without Worms said...

Yes, I do understand!!! All of my books in the art room need to be moved so the carpet installers will have an easier time with the carpet.
I'm afraid if I take them upstairs they will get mixed up with my upstairs books or worse yet..."lost".
So, I'm procrastinating until April 29th...the day before.

Lana G! said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Lana said...
"My study throngs with characters waiting to be written (read). Imaginary people, anxious for life, who tug at my sleeve, crying 'Me next! Go On! My turn!' I have to select. And once I have chosen, the others lie quiet... until I come to the end of the story, and the clamour starts up again." From the Thirteen Tale! Oh for the love of books!

Katrina @ Callapidder Days said...

Oh my, yes! The other day, I decided to be "brutal" about decluttering our bookshelves -- you know, get rid of all the books I knew I didn't need. Yeah, I was brutal. I managed to part with three. I just. can't. do. it.

Unknown said...

Actually, I went through I time when I didn't even miss all of those books boxed up in the attic, but then I began wondering where they all were. The reunion was very sweet, and met with smiles and a pitter patter, not palpitations.

Now I can barely even get rid of cookbooks that I know I won't use (and maybe never even did!).

Barb said...

I can definitely understand. I'm exactly the same way. I would have kept twenty or so of them out of the boxes just so I wouldn't panic at the thought of not having a book to read. :-)

I suspect you'll be inspired to get that painting finished faster than you think. LOL

Rachel Anne said...

good luck with your painting project. Maybe it will go faster than you think!