It’s been too long since I’ve written. It seems that the best remedy for that, it to read. I’ve recently finished reading “Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea” by Rebecca Thorne. It’s a delightfully cozy and funny book. Honestly, we all need more cozy books in these uncomfortable times.
For those that have read Thorne’s book, it’s probably unsurprising that my thoughts while reading it began to muse on local businesses and libraries. In fact, one of the reasons why I even read this book was that it was gifted from a local bookstore to my local cafe’s lending library. What does your local cafe or library provide you? I can name several: a comforting drink or meal, an opportunity to meet with family and friends separate from personal drama at home, a step out of the weather, lending libraries that provide free access to books I might not have otherwise picked up (for knowledge or entertainment), no-questions-asked food pantries, or perhaps bags of spent coffee grounds to nourish a garden at home.
I find it awe-inspiring the range provided here. I find it awe-inspiring that many of my local coffee shops not only provide these free extra curricular services, but do so with sustainable practices such as compostable to-go cups, reusable cups/cutlery, above average minimum wages, and local sourcing for products. I understand the big-chain argument of scalability and consistency to a brand, but these small shops always impress me when so many national or international chains make significant more profit margins and drag their feet on becoming more sustainable.
Many of my district libraries provide even more services, like lending libraries for equipment to maintain and repair a house or learn a new hobby, or for tickets to local museums and gardens. They also offer a wide range of classes or presentation topics, such as on mental health, sobriety support, resume building workshops, or other community aid, but also fun activities for all ages to support learning and growth in the community. I couldn’t tell you how many books I’ve borrowed from the state-wide library catalog. Many of these books are housed at university libraries for older, academic texts. Without this network of libraries, access to this knowledge would be lost or at least significantly less convenient, as many local libraries cannot afford to maintain older books and access new, popular titles.
Sometimes I see local churches or other places of worship providing these types of community resources. And it’s truly great to see neighbors supporting each other, no matter where that support comes from. I think it’s important to acknowledge that these resources cannot be ran by a single organization. We need big non-profits to access and deliver food, just as much as little food pantries at libraries and coffee shops. Or even just as much as the ‘free vegetables’ table at our workplaces when someone’s garden has an unholy amount of zucchini. These different levels of support reach wider in the community than one alone and with their own unique lens.
I hope you can provide a bit of cozy for your community this week. Maybe that’s lending a book. Maybe that means donating some cans of soup. Maybe it means supporting your local library or newspaper so they can further their community support work. And maybe, all you need to do is smile and be kind to your neighbor. After all, who will take care of us if we don’t take care of our own? United we stand, and divided we fall.