I should have started a lottery on what the photograph above represents.The answer is: my destiny.
What looks like the office of an aspiring junior professor at a midwestern university is actually my quarters in England while serving in the Air Force. But the details are telling.
You cannot see the large book case off to the left. But it is obvious that it is brimming with books because the overflow is evident on every flat surface in the room.
What is a 27-year old single military officer doing in such surroundings? The first explanation is more excuse than reason. I was working on my master's degree in international relations at the time. That helps to explain all of the military and law titles.
But the real reason is that I simply love books. I am writing this post in my library, surrounding by many of the same books in the photograph.
I use my library far less than I once did. The internet has had a large impact on that. I can now find facts far easier than I once could in my reference books.
But I am old enough and hedonistic enough that I get pleasure from the feel and smell of books.
That will be one of the things that I truly miss about moving south -- leaving my books behind.
You can also see the nascent pieces of my art collection there on the left. I still have them, and they have a favored place on my wall.
But here is the irony. As much as I will miss the books, I will not miss the art collection. And I do not know why. It is possible that I have collected pieces that simply do not reflect what I enjoy. Who knows? But it will soon be disbursed. And I will not mind.
Bit by bit. Life changes.
