dreaming

someone once told me that if my master's degree doesnt pan out, i should consider being a children's librarian. there is something so beautiful and liberating about children's books. to be so young, and open a book, to a page filled with dreams and fantasies. to share this joy with children, and to read them stories that make them laugh, cry and gasp in horror. to be part of their imagination. to look at colourful words all day that play around on pages. to get inside their heads, and to be on their level of silliness. to make silly faces as you read along to them, and to colour outside the lines.

ive thought about the idea. however, i want to combine all my passions into one. a long-time dream of mine has been to open up a coffee shop. either somewhere in greenwich village or in a little nook on long island. a coffee shop that sells more then coffee, but words. a coffee shop bookstore. but not a bookstore that sells books that are on the top sellers list, but books that have changed my life. books that when i open, i am opening up the pages to lives of my friends in the books. books that actually make you F E E L and think. and of course, some brilliant classics that go forgotten about. little women, a tree grows in brooklyn, cat's cradle, the secret life of bees, the giving tree, anne frank. my shop will be filled with all of these books that i feel comfortable speaking about. a coffee shop bookstore that has book discussions. where ladies (and men) come every month to discuss a classic favourite. to debate on endings and "what if's". a coffee shop bookstore that has an upstairs studio for yoga. a place to unwind and find your inner self. your inner zen. namaste. a coffee shop bookstore yoga studio that sells local art, made by friends. paintings, jewelry, clothing, everything homemade and touched by our fingers. a place where everyone who walks in is a friend, a comforting home. like that places you see in the movies. i would wear a homemade apron everyday (a different one for each day of the week!) and welcome everyone, young and old, into my shop, as if it was my home. with homemade lemonsquares and orange juice cake and other family recipes. to be shared with my new family. my reading family.

this long term dream of mine unfortunately only has potential to stay a dream. it's so sad how our society is so fast-paced that we cant even appreciate sitting with a cup of tea to read a beautiful book. to have a place to go to unwind that is free of cell phones and wi-fi. everywhere we go, people are moving, talking on phones, IM'ing one another and are too busy to sit back and let their mind imagine. let their eyes dance along prose, poetry, novels, novellas and plays. instead our eyes gaze over text messages, emails and the television. i hope that one day, i can get the courage to follow a dream of mine, and force people to put away the blackberries, shut off the laptops, and enter my world. my world with hot teas, literature and art. my world of peace and intelligence. my world of happiness.