I want to be forever young...

Do you ever wonder what happened to the innocence and spontaneity of your 10-year-self? Remember how excited you used to get over the simplest things? We grew up, that's what happened! Today I was thinking about how much I often miss those beautiful days of childhood. Then I think, why not strive to emulate those same childhood characteristics into our adult lives?

No matter how old I am, I will still...anticipate the coming of Christmas with the same joy and enthusiasm as I did as a child; long for summer days at Lakeside all year long, fidget anxiously for three hours to get there, savour the long summer days at the dock and cry when the season ends at Labor Day; enjoy a good cannonball into Lake Erie; love the freedom of going barefoot in warm weather; welcome the good company of a classic childhood story like Anne of Green Gables or Cheaper by the Dozen; and take a test ride on all the swings and slides in the playground. Perhaps these youthful adventures are good for our tired, stressed adult lives...

As we get older, we forget what was important to us as a child and start to become more cynical of the world around us. We need to take a step back in time and relax. I hope I never lose my youthful spirit or dreams. Someday I'm going to cannonball off the dock at Lakeside with my grandchildren and enjoy the moment just as much, or even more than when I was 10. So, make it your daily mantra to stay forever young!

Sincerely? Cordially? Affectionately!

Dear Friends,

Right now I'm reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society for my book club (which is fabulous if anyone was wondering!) and I realized how amazing it is that a whole book was based on correspondence via letters. How interesting!! Granted, the setting of the book is England following WWII so there weren't any of the modern conveniences that we have today to communicate but each of the letters possesses a sincerity that is missing from today's texts and Facebook messages.

Writing letters is an art that I think the current generation and most of society for that matter views as an old-fashioned practice and waste of time. Personally, I LOVE writing letters and notes to my friends and family. There is something special about opening the mail box and finding a HAND WRITTEN ENVELOPE from your best friend, grandma or aunt. My great aunt and I write letters a few times a month to each other. It brightens her day and makes me happy to have this unique connection her.

One of my most treasured possessions next to my books are the letters that my late grandmothers, as well as my great aunt sent to me throughout the years. These beautiful paper memories are stored as bookmarks within the pages of my books - a pleasant surprise when I take a book off the shelf to read. Writing letters was a regular part of life for my grandmothers, so will it completely disappear as the older generations begin to die? Have children today even written a letter besides to Santa (if they've even done that)?

It makes me wonder though... If we aren't even writing letters, what will happen to the love letter? Is that a thing of the past now? I'm reminded of the Sex and City: The Movie scene when Carrie is reading old love letters by Beethoven. She asks Big if he has ever written her a love letter and he says he will send her a love fax. How unromantic, even from Big! My generation is going to have love emails and texts. There is no way to express true love for someone electronically. The future of communication seems void of emotion and heart.

My icon, Jackie Kennedy, was known for her impeccable correspondence, not only as First Lady but throughout her entire life. In fact, most of the First Ladies and Presidents wrote letters frequently. There is a great book about letters written between the Presidents and their spouses. It highlights a part of their lives that the public rarely sees and all through LETTERS. We could all learn a simple lesson from our nation's leaders and start writing letters again.

Perhaps I should be grateful that new technology has opened the gateway to instant communication with friends, family and others we have lost touch with throughout the years. Email and Facebook have their benefits but at the same time I long for the surprise of a letter or card in the mailbox from a friend. The sender actually put thought into picking the card and writing the note, a simple way to show you care about someone. It takes time but try it! I guarantee it will put a smile their face!

Love,

Carrie

Happy National Library Week!

As a librarian and a nerd, I feel it is my civic responsibility to promote the public library and all of the wonderful and FREE services offered there. It is the hidden gem of many communities, an untapped resource just waiting to be discovered.

For instance, the small but aWeSoMe library that I now call home has free yoga classes for everyone, tax assistance for those of us who are numerically challenged and access to a wealth of interesting resources. Imagine what the possibilities are at big libraries then!

So, in honor of National Library Week, I encourage you to get out there and explore your community's library, you may be surprised at what you find!! Get a library card, check out a book, attend a program or say hi to the librarian...we won't tell you to shhh!