A Photo of the Books I've Been Fortunate To (Re)Read the Last Few Weeks & a Recognition that Others May Be Thankful. I'm Being Tame with This Response.

I've been thinking about Ranger Beth's writing prompt from Thomas Edison National Park, and trying to wrap my head around what it is I would choose for future generations to contemplate. My quirky sense of humor quickly thought of Mary Elisabeth, the severed, creepy, 1930s doll given to me by a friend. It arrived as a head, on a body, with all its legs and arms detached. It may be the eeriest item I own, and whereas it creeps me out (don't ask why I keep it - more out of superstition than anything else), I can only imagine what individuals will think of it in the future...I mean, it's a decade shy of being 100 years old now. What might the future think? 

I also thought about the collection of tiny, miniature creatures I have that represent various students and friends I've been fortunate to work with over the years. I suppose I should admit it's a glass menagerie, but I swear it's not in reference to Tennessee Williams. My grandmother used to have such creatures used to decorate her Holiday Branch each year (she didn't put up a tree; instead, she decorated a fallen branch with tinsel, fake snow, and her collage of tiny figurines). Each of mine has a tremendous story behind them, and I suppose I wouldn't mind having them thrown in with me when my body gives way to the soil and a tree is born from my aftermath.

There are photographs, of course, but they fade and become ghosts of yesteryear - not something to leave behind for future generations.

After thinking about it, I believe I'd like to donate my library of books that I've read and kept since I was a high school student. It's hard for me to part with any and I remember when I moved to Connecticut, my father said, "What the hell do you need all these for?" Seriously, half my pod was filled with boxes and boxes of books. It's only gotten worse. Students who come into my office for conferences often ask, "Did you really read all of these?" and I respond, "These are the ones I kept. My house is also filled with reading material I've never been able to depart with. Every room. Several book cases."

Once upon a time, this collection consisted of classics, old-school literature that was taught to me, and the theories that came along with them. Soon, however, the collection widened to books that I knew my students would read. These were texts that changed the lives of adolescents and made them lifelong readers. It grew more diverse, multicultural....rich and significant. They are the ones I encourage teachers to teach in school, but sadly are put to the side so that traditional texts maintain their cultural hold of society. I just sigh. I wish there was more of a both/and, rather than an either/or mentality. My reading philosophy is to read everything; nothing is off limits. Ask questions and find others who have chosen to explore them, too. Keep them nearby (like a child harvests stuffed animals) in case you need a hug and an old friend.

In the end, Ranger Beth, my response would be, "Send my bookshelves....all of them. Create a library of resources so that future generations can have the pleasure of reading that I've been fortunate to have."

And yes, these include my field guides so I can find a name for the moths, butterflies, wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, and birds that come my way. If you wish, you can include the 100s of journals I've kept, too, although my thinking moved online to Blogger in 2008.

I should also note: the books in the photograph above are just the ones I've read in my new reading/thinking/ writing space. Others from the last few weeks are on my desk upstairs, and a few are piled on the dining room table. I admit, when I was an undergraduate student and visited my professor's office, I was mesmerized but all the texts on their shelves. There was something comforting about these spaces, and although I'm not a book sniffer, I soaked in the feeling of comfort they gave me. 

Perhaps I'm crazy, but I'm thrilled to admit that I've become one of those people. I also take tremendous joy seeing the bookshelves being filled by the boys.

If you read, it will come.

Also of note. I'm so negligent in my reading all that is out there, and I know so many are more prolific than I can ever dream of being. That's why I find joy knowing these people, hearing their viewpoints, and understanding their thoughts on the world.

Alas, readers are not the norm. That's why I'd leave reading opportunities to future generations.