When is “Enough” Enough?
I am an innately curious person. I have always been one to ask “Why?” At the age of 5 or 6 I turned my attentions to birth and just how we all got here. That caught my mother off guard, and she phoned the family physician. He counseled that she should just answer my questions truthfully, one at a time, as they arose. What he had not counted on was a wellspring of questions that followed, one after the other, like rapid gunfire. My poor mother was frazzled, and after having been grilled for hours on end for a few days, gave up the whole megillah on conception and birth. Now, you might think that one so young could not grasp this intricate mystery of the universe. But I did. I credit my mother’s forthrightness and succinct manner of explanation for my understanding. This understanding by the way did not change much over the years – clearly I understood what she was saying and my journey of questioning began.
I also remember my high school years when I toyed with the idea of being an investigative reporter. But the constant moving from place to place, story to story impinged on my wanting to stay anchored at the place where I “was planted.”
I wanted to know how to decorate cakes and took a small decorating course by a local department store. That ended after SIX courses, knowledge of how make and decorate all manner of cakes, how to make finger foods galore and stir up untold punch recipes. This spurred me on to a catering career—folks, don’t do it, it is back-breaking work at all hours.
This constant quest for knowing the how and why of things has resulted in a huge reading career. My local library has been my hangout for many years. I have often said that if I win the lottery I will never forget the library. Where else can you gain so much knowledge—for free?!! And I keep Amazon and Thriftbooks at my fingertips should there be a book I simply must own. (BTW, I was a librarian for my local high school while attending—yeah, I know--library nerd. Well, that’s okay by me.)
I have noticed that this constant ache for knowledge has grown more intense with age. I am guessing it is the feeling that time is running out and that one doesn’t have much more time for reading/discussions/classes etc, that lead to the golden ring—the knowledge of things you MUST gain.
It will start with something simple that leads to a whole journey, so I heartily endorse this inquisitive bent in life. For instance, while homeschooling my grandchild we read a lovely book entitled How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books by Joan Bodger. Ms. Bodger, now deceased I am sad to say, must have suffered from the same disease I have. She and her family set out to discover the favorite spots of authors of many of our beloved children’s books. This led me to the library where I checked out background books on Beatrix Potter (The Tale of Peter Rabbit), A. A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh) and Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in The Willows.) What a wonderful adventure it was. Do yourself a favor and read about these folks, or perhaps the authors of some other works you dearly love.
I often wonder how people can say they are bored when we have libraries and the internet. Both can be free, for even access to the internet is possible at a branch of your local library.
I mused this over, realized how much I had always been associated with the word library and the institutions themselves, and voila, I had my answer. You see, my father had been a seeker of knowledge and instrumental in helping set up a mobile lending library for our town. He dearly adored the matron who was starting this task, and assisted her with gathering books and making such a mobile library possible. So it was in my DNA.
I consider myself the queen of quintessential minutiae, the Columbo of trivial topics, the Perry Mason of paper trails and paperbacks. I can honestly say that I shall always yearn for data, facts, the background information, and for the stories that make up our lives. But I can also say that I have never been bored. “Try it—you’ll like it.” (And just why does that phrase sound so familiar?*) I just had to know the back story and share it:*
*http://mentalfloss.com/article/56711/11-advertising-slogans-became-catch-phrases: “Try It! You’ll Like It! This 1971 Alka-Seltzer was one of the first created by the then-new Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency. The tag phrase soon took on a life of its own (how many mothers used it to convince their picky eaters to eat their broccoli?) and helped to get the commercial elected to the Clio Awards Classic Hall of Fame.”