Not Lost, But Found

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Abstract

at I have always known. Reminding me of what I still need to learn.Absorbed (OK, call it lost) in a book, I discover or reaffirm my values, my beliefs, my hopes, my dreams, my intuitions and intentions.I come to understand the source of my courage, the roots of my timidity, the outcome of my actions, and the unexpected consequences of my inactions.Through a lifetime of reading, my experiences and discoveries have brought me an appreciation of my beginning and perhaps a less anxious understanding of my inevitable end.All that I love and all that I disdain. Everything about me that is most fierce and most fragile. Everything I have said, have wanted to say, may some day finally get around to saying, and all the consequences.Most of all when I find myself in books, I come closer to self-acceptance. Also closer to gratitude for my family and friends, casual acquaintances, passing strangers. . . to everyone doing their best

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to survive, while remembering sometimes to enjoy the breath of flowers and the songs of birds.I recognize now that even the earliest books of my childhood were urging me to follow a path of respect for others, respect for the earth and all its life, which begins with self-respect.So to all the writers whose words have helped me to find myself by losing myself, I want to say thank you. Without your words , your wisdom, and even at time your waywardness and whimsey,I think I would truly have been lost — with no compass, no Pole Star, no rising sun, no moonlit path to guide me, offering me a passage of discovery, or a signpost to the path leading home.As ever, warm thanks to <a href="https://medium.com/@trista-signe-ainsworth">Trista Signe Ainsworth</a> and to all the contributors to <a href="https://medium.com/thank-you-notes">Thank You Notes</a> whose inspiring words of wisdom and gratitude always elevate my day.</article></body>

Following the pathways of books

I am lost in a book…

How often have I said this? How often have you? As a devoted reader since the age of seven, I understand this sentiment

,and yet…

I think it is more accurate to say, I have found myself in books.

Continually discovering who I am, where I am, what changes in myself I want to make, where I want to go, and where I want to linger.

A good book, poem, or essay is both a ticket and a roadmap for me. Helping me to recognize what I have always known. Reminding me of what I still need to learn.

Absorbed (OK, call it lost) in a book, I discover or reaffirm my values, my beliefs, my hopes, my dreams, my intuitions and intentions.

I come to understand the source of my courage, the roots of my timidity, the outcome of my actions, and the unexpected consequences of my inactions.

Through a lifetime of reading, my experiences and discoveries have brought me an appreciation of my beginning and perhaps a less anxious understanding of my inevitable end.

All that I love and all that I disdain. Everything about me that is most fierce and most fragile. Everything I have said, have wanted to say, may some day finally get around to saying, and all the consequences.

Most of all when I find myself in books, I come closer to self-acceptance. Also closer to gratitude for my family and friends, casual acquaintances, passing strangers. . . to everyone doing their best to survive, while remembering sometimes to enjoy the breath of flowers and the songs of birds.

I recognize now that even the earliest books of my childhood were urging me to follow a path of respect for others, respect for the earth and all its life, which begins with self-respect.

So to all the writers whose words have helped me to find myself by losing myself, I want to say thank you. Without your words , your wisdom, and even at time your waywardness and whimsey,

I think I would truly have been lost — with no compass, no Pole Star, no rising sun, no moonlit path to guide me, offering me a passage of discovery, or a signpost to the path leading home.

As ever, warm thanks to Trista Signe Ainsworth and to all the contributors to Thank You Notes whose inspiring words of wisdom and gratitude always elevate my day.