Inside Good Books...

A rule by which many liveaboards live (and buy) is - When one new thing comes aboard, one old thing comes off. This is important with clothing items especially because one (me) can end up with a gazillion tshirts or pants that sit too long in the locker and end up soaking up a boat-y smell because they've not been worn or cleaned in a good amount of time. The above rule is helpful, too, in making sure that we truly have what we need and really consider those things we want (not all wants are needs).

Books are items that I've had to be a bit more conscious about bringing aboard. I'll amass a small library in no time. Buying books full price from a book store or Amazon isn't always the best use of money because I read and get rid - after a book is done it's passed off to a friend, the local library, or taken to the Goodwill. These places are also where I find books - the Goodwill is a goldmine. Recently I was in a larger town nearby waiting for our new sail to be completed, so I stopped into their Goodwill store. It's bigger, it's near an affluent community, so there were treasures to be found...especially the book section.

Five front and back bookcases of newly used books by current and prominent authors. I ended up with nine books in my arms and then realized that this was crazy. I ended up choosing three: one non-fiction, one fiction, and one self-helpy (I like learning new ways to think and react).  Inside two of the books, there were messages left behind by previous readers.

In one, a sweet note from a husband.

I love that it was in this book (a tribute to the devine feminine power) and wonder if the husband gave this title as a gift because he thought so highly of his wife. Or, she was so touched by the note that she kept it as a bookmark in the many books she read, always reviewing the sweet love captured in his words.

In another book, a different message was shared.

It took me a while to figure this message out (embarrassingly so, in hindsight). Not sure how or why this arrived in my world, but I'll take it. I chuckle a bit when I imagine that the universe had delivered in my lap something that we all search long and hard for. Literally, good books are filled with grand ideas.