Where to Begin?

Welcome.  I am glad you are here!  For those of you that do not know me yet, if I had to label myself I would say I am a professional educator and encourager of creation. A few weeks ago a fellow educator told me I should write a blog. This made me laugh, but I was also honored to have an English and Language Arts teacher compliment my writing voice. I have often thought about writing for the purpose of simultaneously indulging in personal expression while possibly bringing something amusing or useful into another’s life.  

Then I was directed to write 5 blog posts as part of a graduate school assignment…AND now this endeavor is a must.  

But where to begin?

I have been struggling with this task for days until last night the Sound of Music popped into my head and I heard Maria reminding me, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”

So, here we are, at the very beginning of a brand new blog, and this first post is about just that: Where to Start?

Have you ever encountered a fairly normal life event only to realize you had absolutely no previous experience or intrinsic knowledge of how to DEAL with the said event? These encounters in the joyful struggle we call life could be small, like having the wooden gate pull free at the hinge from its post, or maybe you need to find a place to get rid of some specific stuff out of your garage. Perhaps you started quaran-gardening and you are being overrun by zucchini. Maybe you are ignoring the need to tackle a large project like replacing the household carpet, or bigger, like moving to a new state.

These obstacles can sometimes hang us up, especially large or new or complicated ones.  My husband has often calmed me off a panicky to-do list cliff by reminding me not to try to eat the whole pie; just eat one slice.  The other slices will be there later.

I feel fairly confident in saying that these days in the information age, many people’s first instinct is to hop on social media and ask a friend.  Facebook even offers a “question” option.  Maybe this works in some instances.  But what you are truly looking for in this case is someone who already has access to the answers and is willing to give them to you. (Guess what, that is what librarians do.)

In many cases, straight-from-the-internet answers come with a price.  These prices you pay could be actual money like a consulting fee or the quote on how much the hauling company will charge you to rent the dumpster to clean out the garage. In other instances, that price will be the result of bad advice or the often unhealthy decision to follow trends without researching them. For instance, the Tide Pods phenomenon, a classic example of information gone wrong.  Some fun acknowledgment of this fact from Brooklyn, NY.

I am writing today to suggest to you what I realize to be the answer to my own conundrum: “When in doubt, go to the library.”

Even though Ron Weasley said this of Hermione Granger very sarcastically in the second Harry Potter book, Chamber of Secrets, the essence should hold true for all of us.  Especially in America where we are so blessed with vast and varied library options.  Any I.D. bearing resident in the US has access to whatever city or county library system is geographically close by.  Any student attending a public school in America should have some type of access to some type of school library.  And most of these mentioned libraries have an internet presence where even individuals in different geographic locations can benefit from much of the provided information without being a resident.  With a library card, a vast and diverse world of PROVEN resources opens up – and this world is free of recommendations to eat Tide Pods. This world of library information is SO vast in fact, that an individual needs another piece of advice to handle getting started there.

That advice is simple: 3-5.

Three to five, you say? Yes, three to five is the generally recommended answer to any question involving the concept of “how many?” Let me show you what I mean:

“Hey, friends. Where do you want to eat? “

This inquiry will usually result in “I don’t know.”

Vs.

“Hey, friends. Should we go out for Italian, Mexican, or burgers?”

“Mexican.  It is Taco Tuesday anyway.”

By constricting the options you provide a straighter path to a possible answer.

So, what are you going to do with all that quarantine garden excess? 

Step 1.) Check out your local library and search for 3-5 resources offered that focus on your vegetable dilemma.

Step 2.) Review the resource list and decide if you are going to borrow that cookbook through your Overdrive account, or attend the Garden Club meeting via Zoom next Thursday.

Step 3.) Move forward.  You are no longer stuck wondering where to start.

It is that easy: When in doubt, go to the library. Collect 3-5 options. Begin your dive into what will soon be the next item on your list of conquered things.