In the beginning

There were words written on pages and while I remember the frustration of having to work my way through the incredibly boring readers in early primary school at a rate that could not keep me interested - John and Betty! - I was rewarded by being allowed to choose books from the public library.

Bliss, joy, heaven. My world that centred around our street, the river and school suddenly grew into immense proportions. The Enchanted Forest, The Fabulous Four, The Famous Five, the paperback Adventure series that took me around the world, Billy Bunting, Coles Funny Picture Books, then a bit later, Ray Bradbury and a dive into the deeper literature, poetry, plays and writing in response.

Little wonder my chosen career was journalism and my sought after companions were writers and artists - and books!

Oh the books I've had and still have.

Some have travelled with me since childhood: just can't let go for love or money.

                                          Did anyone grow up with these?

Others have joined, stayed a while and been passed on to others, or joined at a certain stage and stayed because of what they represent or have taught me and continue to remind me.

My latest move of 1600km saw me shed a few books but the biggest percentage of the load of furniture in the truck was boxes of words. The small house we have moved into was sold to us with every room containing stacks of books - 90 per cent non-fiction. How could we not buy the house?

So my book collection has now tripled in size and I am looking at becoming a book seller. It's going to be hard; this is a new role. 

I recently read (no it's not for sale cos I need to reread it) 'Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself', by Dr Joe Dispenza and had toyed with the idea of becoming someone who doesn't read or write but just 'does' stuff. Imagine everything I could accomplish if I was a doer. No books, no paper, no ideas for stories or poems or art works, just 'do it' to borrow that hideous slogan.

But as I contemplated the horror of life barren of those things, I realised that what I actually had to break the habit of, was procrastination. I have brilliant (of course they are) ideas of writing and art projects that I am going to do, but the doing needs to be in the area that I love. I need to get brave in the areas where I am most afraid to go ie. writing and art and putting myself on the line, and grow a spine. 

So all things books - and art. This is my space.