Stephen Hawking--Life Lived to the Fullest

A great mind passed away last week.  Physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking died on March 14 at the age of 76.

I confess that I'm not scientifically minded, and I haven't paid close attention to Hawking's theories, which I understand are--for lack of better phrasing--out of this world.  I'm not going to discuss his achievements as there are others who can do a much better job than me.  What I would like to talk about is my admiration for a person who has lived his life as fully as possible despite his physical limitations.

At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early onset, slow-progressing form of ALS, and his doctors gave him two years to live.  As anyone can understand, Hawking was initially depressed by his diagnosis and his deteriorating motor skills and speech.  However, with the encouragement of his doctoral advisor, he continued his work and did so for the next fifty-five years.

It would have been so easy for Hawking to give up, to stop working and succumb to his condition, but he didn't.  As the years progressed, so did his ALS.  He lost his ability to speak and all movement, but not his mind.  Thanks to technology and various people helping him, Hawking was able to communicate and write using a raise of his eyebrows, a computer, and a voice synthesizer.  He wrote books and gave lectures...all from his wheelchair.  He traveled, received awards, and even went on a zero-gravity flight in the hope of preparing for a space trip.

Stephen Hawking may not have been able to do the simplest things most of us take for granted, like walking or talking, but he didn't let his condition stop him from doing what he wanted to do.  I admire him for making the most of life, having a sense of humor, and taking things in stride.  Hawking is a role model, inspiring us to pursue our interests and not allow anything to deter us from them.

Ever humbly yours from the perch.

Carnegie Libraries

Libraries.  We take for granted that most towns, large or small, have them.  You want a book, a DVD, CD, or whatever, you go to the local library and get it--for free.  There's no cost for using the library and borrowing items.  Kids can get materials to help with homework, adults can find resources to help get jobs, and everyone can find something to enjoy in his or her free time.  Yes, libraries are great for both work and play.

Did you know, however, that just over a hundred years ago, libraries weren't free?  And not all towns had them?  If a town was fortunate enough to have a library, it often shared space with the city hall or even a jail.  Not exactly the kind of place you'd want to take the kids, was it?  Additionally, you'd often have to pay a subscription in order to use it.

Industrialist and Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a poor boy from Scotland who worked in a Pittsburgh textile mill and later expanded the American steel industry, was self-taught and knew the value of libraries.  Unable to afford the $2 subscription, he was only able to use the local library at the age of 17 when a newspaper published a letter he wrote to the library administrator asking for library privileges.

When he had acquired his fortune, Carnegie made it his mission to build public libraries across the U.S.  Close to 1,700 libraries were built from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  They were free and open to everyone regardless of gender, age, and race.  Although some Carnegie libraries have been torn down or are no longer used as libraries, many continue to serve in their original purpose today.

To read more about Andrew Carnegie and the Carnegie libraries, check out the following articles:

• Library Benefactor Andrew Carnegie
• How Andrew Carnegie Turned His Fortune Into a Library Legacy

Sincerely yours from the perch.

We Need More Uplifting Reads

Warning: I'm about to get on my soapbox.

For quite some time, I've been trying to find some uplifting reads for adults, and you know what?  They're really hard to find.  Alright, I know that conflict makes good stories and that stories normally end when the conflict is resolved.  However, with all the conflict we have in real life, don't we need--no, deserve--some books to make us feel the world can be a better place?

Let's take a lesson from the movies.  During the Great Depression, when people were going through tough times, did Hollywood produce movies that were full of doom and gloom?  Not really.  They made movies that were cheerful and had happy endings.  It was the age of Charlie Chaplin and Shirley Temple.  It was a time of glamorous dreams in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced gracefully across the screen and Judy Garland sang of a place over the rainbow.  Movies were escapism, a break from the bleak everyday and intended to raise spirits.

Why can't we have books nowadays that are more escapist?  Books that are about people helping and being there for others.  Books that demonstrate understanding and compassion.  The characters should be allowed happiness or at least contentment, and they can have a good ending despite having a few bumps along the way.  Why can't we have more books like Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove or Richard Paul Evans' The Walk series?  Sure, the characters in these books start out in rough shape, but they have people around them who care and help them get to a better state.

It's sad that today a new genre--school violence--is growing amid the increasing number of school shootings and other types of threats in the world.  If you ask me, I think now more ever we need books that emphasize the positive over the negative, joy over despair, humanity over monstrosity.  We need books to lift us up and to inspire hope.

Yours ever optimistically from the perch.

Happy (Anti) Valentine's Day!

Chocolates, roses, cards.  Romance books, romance movies, romance whatever.  Yup, Valentine's Day has come again.  Depending on how you're feeling in your relationship or lack thereof, you're either loving or hating Cupid's holiday.

In the past, I've written about library items to help all the lovebirds out there, but what about all the lonelyhearts?  Well, this post is written for all of you down on love.  If you're looking for something that won't have you gagging on lovey-dovey couples that can't stop smooching, here are some books and movies that might appeal to you:

Books

• 1984 (George Orwell)  You don't need an enemy when you have a partner who betrays you when imprisoned and begs for you to be tortured instead of them. Very romantic.
• Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)  Love?  What's love?  In this futuristic society, there's no love, sex is recreational, babies are grown inside bottles, and everybody takes happy drugs.
• The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)  Guy loves woman, woman marries someone else for money, guy gets rich and buys big house to lure woman away, and it's ends bad.  Really bad.

Movies

• Fatal Attraction  Don't cheat because the person you cheat with may be seriously psycho.  Poor bunny.
• Revolutionary Road  Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are definitely not feeling the love in this movie.  They're not crazy about each other and they both hate their lives.
• The War of the Roses  What can be more anti-romantic than a couple divorcing?  Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas fight to the end.  The very bitter end. 

To all you lonelyhearts out there, know that you're not alone.  Take comfort that Valentine's Day is almost over and you have 364 days to make the next one hopefully better.

Sending you good, positive vibes this Valentine's Day from the perch.

New Year's Resolutions for Book Nerds

We're about two weeks into the New Year.  Perhaps you've made some resolutions?  Maybe you're doing a good job keeping up with those resolutions, or have you already abandoned them?  Whether or not you're doing well on those promises you made to yourself, I'm not one to judge.  In the spirit of the New Year and resolutions, however, I thought it might be fun to share with you Barnes and Noble's list of New Year's Resolutions for Book Nerds (I especially like numbers 1, 5, and 19):

1. I will stop losing bookmarks.
2. I will keep my “all-nighters to read a book from cover to cover” down to once a week.
3. I will do things other than read on weekends. Things like interact with other humans, eat things other than cereal, absorb sunlight, and appreciate trees.
4. I will give people who don’t read a chance. Maybe.
5. I will conquer the 100 greatest novels of all time.
6. I will choose a literary prize and read every book that has ever won that prize.
7. I will be faithful to one book club, instead of joining five different ones and just reading whatever I want.
8. I will shed 20 pounds from my bookshelves so they’re not straining under a potentially hazardous amount of weight.
9. I will exercise more by walking around the bookstore five times before making my purchases.
10. Before passing judgment on a genre of books, I will read three books in that genre first.
11. I will read a book in another language, even if it’s The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
12. I will organize my book collection in a way that other sentient beings can understand.
13. I will diligently record every book I read this year and my thoughts on them.
14. I will stop being late to things because I got distracted by a book.
15. In fact, I will show up extra early to everything so I have time to read while waiting.
16. I will stop judging people who see the movie before reading the book.
17. I will stop recommending books with ultimatums like, “If you don’t love this book, we can’t be friends!”
18. I will finally finish that one book I’ve tried to start four times already.
19. I will keep one book on my nightstand instead of a tower of precariously piled hardcovers that could topple at any minute and crush me in my sleep.
20. When my significant other reads a book I love, I will not sit and stare at them while they read. Nor will I keep asking, “Are you at (my favorite part) yet?”

Don't forget--the library has plenty of materials for your enlightenment and entertainment...and they're all FREE!  And stop by the perch if you have any questions or just want to say hi to your friendly, neighborhood perch librarian.

Wishing you a good start to the year from the perch.

Are Holiday Cards Dead?

It's that most wonderful time of the year again.  That time when we go crazy buying gifts, baking cookies, and having cups of cheer.  It's also that time of year when we send holiday cards to each other.  Or is it?

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing fewer and fewer Christmas cards in my mailbox, and by mailbox I mean the snail mail box rather than my email inbox.  Sure, everything has become more electronic these days with email, texts, and various social media outlets, but Christmas tended to be the one time of the year when people actually bought paper cards, sat down to write them, and stick stamps on envelopes.  However, I'm seeing that changing.  It now seems that even once a year is too much trouble for some people to send cards.

In case you were wondering, the tradition of sending Christmas cards began in the UK in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole, who was working in what was the newly established Post Office, thought of a new way for more people to use the mail service.  He and an artist friend, John Horsley, came up with the idea of making and selling cards to be sent at Christmas with holiday wishes.

I have to admit that I always look forward to checking my mailbox this time of year and finding cards from people I haven't heard from in a while.  I love seeing the festive pictures on the cards and reading the few words that the sender has penned by hand.  The Christmas cards I receive each year become part of my holiday decor, adorning a shelf near the Christmas tree.

Personally, it would sadden me if Christmas cards were to completely disappear.  Although I have nothing against electronic means of communication, I feel something would be lost without paper cards wishing Season's Greetings.  In the meantime, I will continue to send Christmas cards until stores no longer sell them or I stop receiving them in the mail, whichever comes first.

Wishing you Happy Holidays from the perch.

Be Mindful, You Should

If you're a Star Wars fan like me, then it should be no surprise that the next movie, The Last Jedi, is just around the corner.  Since the first movie came out 40 years ago, people young and old continue to be captivated by events that happened "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."

Sure, Star Wars is a great sci-fi story with the classic good versus evil theme, but it also has ideas rooted in various world belief systems that speak to everyone regardless of religion, ethnicity, and race.  Some of those ideas might be useful in getting through the holidays as well as other busy and stressful times.

"Meditate on this, I will." -Yoda
Meditation is a great way to take a moment, calm down, and find focus.  Set aside 5 minutes, find a quiet spot to sit down, close your eyes, and breathe. 

"Be mindful of your thoughts...they will betray you." -Obi-Wan Kenobi
Don't dwell on the negative, and don't make mountains out of mole hills. 

"Let go of your hate." -Luke Skywalker
Hating is destructive, and holding grudges don't do anyone good.  Forgiveness may be directed toward another, but it's also a gift you give yourself. 

"Do or do not.  There is no try." -Yoda 
Be confident and just do it, whatever it is.  You can handle things.
 
"Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs." -Qui-Gon Jinn
Yesterday is over, tomorrow hasn't come yet.  Focus on the present moment, because you can only do something about today.

As Yoda might say--stress over the holidays do not; be mindful of your feelings and clear your mind, you should.  And don't forget that the library has plenty of materials to further help you de-stress (and we got Star Wars books and DVDs, too!).

Wishing you a calm, peaceful, and mindful Holiday Season from the perch.