I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  It is such a fun holiday- the parades, the fireworks, the family picnics.  Such a contrast to that quiet day in 1776, when a bunch of guys sweating under their wigs in the heat voted to approve a single large page of words that would lead to a long bloody war for independence and the birth of a nation.  150-200 copies of the document were printed that night, and it was read in public in various places over the following days, as the news slowly spread across the new country.

Think of how the country – and the world – has changed since then.  Every day, we are buffeted by the news events of the day, the turmoil around the world rushing at us from satellites, internet, cell phones, all live and close-up and at unprecedented speeds.    It’s a fast-paced world, and it seems that we all have to keep moving, keep switching our attention from TV to blogs to Youtube to cell phones to Facebook in order to keep up.

I love technology and all that it has brought us, but I also believe that there is one way in which we don’t have to change – something that does not need to evolve, something that will keep us all sane in the typhoon of daily events.   The simple pleasure of reading a book will never be outmoded. There is something so wonderful, so calming, about holding the book and turning the pages, seeing the words and letting the images they describe fill your mind.

So keep at it everyone!  Keep taking those breathers from the breakneck pace of the new millennium.  Enjoy the freedom that comes with living in the greatest nation ever founded.   Let’s take advantage of our liberty–to sit back, clear our minds of all that noise, and…open a book.

Happy reading everyone!

Richard
and the PaperBackSwap Team

Every year it sneaks up on us while we are gardening, finishing out the school year, getting ready for the Fourth of July…  Father’s Day!

When I was growing up, I never thought of my Dad as being special.   He went to work every day and came home to us three boys and my Mom.   My brothers and I hardly noticed when people stared at him rolling by in his wheelchair (where polio put him when he was a teenager) – to us he was just Dad.   But as I grow older and face my own relatively minor challenges every day, I begin to see things in a new light, and realize how  special he really was.  Not because of his disability – but because of his abilities.   Thinking of him inspires me to enjoy what I have instead of worrying about what I don’t have – to celebrate the many miracles that go into every day on this earth.

Here’s to you, Dad!   And to everyone else who reminds us that there is extraordinary in the ordinary all around us.
Let’s all have a wonderful June,
Richard
and the PaperBackSwap Team

I have always enjoyed the month of May! Flowers blooming. Mother’s Day. Warm spring rain. Art festivals and sidewalk sales. Neighbors who haven’t seen each other all winter, giving friendly waves as they work in their gardens. It is just a great time of year.

Yes, I know that the news is dreadful – the flu, the economy – but you know what I have noticed? The news is always dreadful. Life is too short to focus on the negative! The flowers, the wonderful weather, the energy of everything growing all around – I can’t wear a frown. Yes, I’m washing my hands so I don’t pick up germs (I don’t worry about objects carrying flu because the flu doesn’t live long on surfaces, especially in warm, moist weather), and I’m economizing along with the rest of the nation (but still spending what I can reasonably spare, to support the businesses who’ve been there for me when I needed them). I’m mindful of world events. But…the lilacs are out, I’ve started reading another great book … Life is good!

We have some terrific things for you this month: tweaks to existing features, new stuff in the Kiosk, and even a rocking design contest! See below for details.

“May” you all have a wonderful month!

Richard Pickering and
the PaperBackSwap Team