THOMASVILLE LIBRARY:

THOUGHTS:

I was sitting out on my back deck this weekend thinking about time and took a pause in my reading of the book, Saving Time. I was staring off into the yard, gazing at my third-year attempt at a vegetable garden (this time tilled into the ground rather than raised bed, fingers crossed) wondering when the bell peppers would start getting taller and begin fruiting. After all, it has been about six weeks since I planted them and I want some peppers! That lead me to thinking about how useless I am in my own survival, as I would surely starve without other people growing the food that I put into my mouth on the daily. But it also got me thinking about how illusioned I am to real time — not the clock time that came about through colonialism — but the individual time of an organism as it cycles through its life, none identical to another’s.

I have been increasingly concerned about whether the grapefruit tree I have been stewarding since it was a seed three and a half years ago (and which I planted in the ground last fall) is still alive. It clearly has frost bite but some of the trunk still looks healthy. What has been stressing me out is that all the other trees seem to be lush and reproducing their leaves while that little dude is still naked and looking ill. But then, the other day as I was driving home, I notice that several trees that are planted in my subdivision’s green space — trees that are the same species as one another — were not all leafy. There were two or three that were still naked while its neighbors were abundant with luminescent green leaves. It reminded me that I was failing to recognize non-human organisms as individual living beings. Just as no two human beings are identical, no two non-human organisms are identical and they exist in their own time, not the one we believe they should be following as if they were machines.

I can only speak for myself, but I find that we (as a society) are living in the future. We encourage wage-workers to save for the future. We engrain in our youth to spend their precious younger years preparing themselves for the future, i.e. extracurriculars and clubs for college application; asking tiny humans what they want to be when they grow up; jokingly saying that two toddlers “have a boyfriend/girlfriend,” etc. We supposedly put federal initiatives and international agreements in place to provide for a better future for upcoming generations. What I am getting at is that it rarely feels as if we are living in the ‘right now’ and paying attention to what we are doing ‘in this moment.’

Our library shelves are stacked with biographies, histories, and stories full of wisdom toward the importance of being present ‘in this moment.’ In Saving Time, the author brings up the idea that as we live in the future, as we are waiting for our lives to happen, we are failing to live in the ‘meantime.’ It reminded me of one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, Oh the Places You’ll Go, and the pages that talk about “The Waiting Place”:

“…for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for aYes or a No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.”

Remembering those words, I realized that was exactly what we all seem to be doing, waiting around for the future to arrive and, thus, lose time not living ‘in the meantime’.

Is it possible for us (as a society and a country) to work on shifting our understanding and concept of time? Is it possible for us to begin to shed the ruling of a 24-hour clock of our own creation and begin living according to the sun, as practically every organism living on Planet Earth is molded to live? Is it possible for us to stop living in The Waiting Place and start living in The Meantime? Will we reach a point where we can finally listen to the wisdoms imparted by the past, enabling us to live now and not a future of our own imagination? Is it possible for modern humans to pivot back to an existence and awareness that time is not necessarily linear, but radiates in all directions all at once? Is time, itself, alive? Can we stop watching our time tick by and let it tell us?

-Samantha Hanchett, Marketing + Outreach Coordinator

Please note that the opinions of “Thoughts” are just that and do not necessarily represent the views of the Thomas County Public Library.

For adults:

Beginner Yoga Class

Every Wednesday, 9:45am

This is a free introductory yoga class that moves slowly through a simple vinyasa sequence, focusing on alignment and breath while working on strength, balance and flexibility. Great for beginners. Yoga mats available. Registration is appreciated but not required.

ESOL (English as an Other Language) Meetup

Every Saturday, 10am – Noon

Are you or someone you know interested in learning to speak English? Every Saturday, native English speakers will be available in the Library to help you learn. Whether you understand English well or are just beginning, our volunteer tutors can help! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, contact: Garrett — 229-977-1293 (English, Spanish), or Samantha (English) — 229-225-5252/Marketing@tcpls.org

Friends of the Library Book Sale

Tuesdays, 10am-5pm

For youth:

Toddler + Tykes Story Time

Every Thursday, 10:30am

Join us for an hour of read-aloud stories, rhymes and songs designed to encourage language and literacy development in your child. Story Time wraps up with a fun, simple art + craft activity. An excellent space to meet other caregivers and children in the community. Intended for ages 2-4 years with their caregivers.

LEGO Club

Every Thursday, 4pm

Calling all child LEGO masters and first-timers! Our LEGO group meets every week to create and build whatever they can imagine. A great place to meet and mingle with other children interested in 3D creation. We also offer larger LEGO bricks for those who may find the smaller bricks tasty. Intended for ages 4-11 years with their caregivers.

At the Branches:

Boston Library –

Quiddler Club

Every Tuesday, 2pm

The Quiddler Club meets each Tuesday at our Boston Branch for an afternoon of the fast, fun word game that challenges you to make words with your hand of cards faster than your opponents. A great space to meet and mingle with others in your community! Intended for ages 18+.

Kids Arts + Crafts: Mother’s Day Card Craft

Thursday, May 11, Drop-In Activity

Coolidge Library –

Tots Learn Scissors

Tuesday, April 25, 4:30pm

Join us for an easy and safe scissor activity to help your child develop its fine motor and cutting skills. Intended for ages 2 – 6 with their caregivers.

Bingo

Tuesday, May 9, 2:30pm

An afternoon game of Bingo for ages 16 and older. A great space to meet and mingle with others living in the community.

Kids Arts + Crafts: Mother’s Day Card Craft

Wednesday, May 10, 4:30pm

Meigs Library –

S.T.E.A.M. Project

Thursday, April 27, Drop-In Activity

Stop in anytime during open hours for a S.T.E.A.M. project (science, technology, engineering, art and math). We are offering a simple, fun experiment to teach kids about how tornadoes form, vortexes, and centripetal force: a tornado in a jar. Intended for ages 6-12 with their caregivers.

S.T.E.A.M. Project

Wednesday, May 3, Drop-In Activity

Stop in anytime during open hours for a S.T.E.A.M. project (science, technology, engineering, art and math). We are offering a ‘magically unpoppable bubble’ science activity! Intended for ages 4-12 with their caregivers.

Ochlocknee Library –

Crafting for Adults

Tuesday, April 25, 4pm

Activity: Pressed flower coasters. All supplies provided at no cost.

Kids Arts + Crafts: Miniature Lightsabers

Tuesday & Thursday, May 2 & 4, 4:00pm

Kids Arts + Crafts: Personalized Pot Holders

Tuesday & Thursday, May 9 & 11, 4:00pm

NEW RELEASES:

Where Are the Children Now?, by Mary Higgins Clark

Simply Lies, by David Baldacci

Shadow of Death, by Heather Graham

Breaking New Ground, by Amy Clipston

Where Coyotes Howl, by Sandra Dallas

Then Everything Happens at Once, by M.E. Girard

A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT:

“Sooner or later, we must all accept the fact that in a relationship [any relationship], the only person you are dealing with is yourself. [The other person] does nothing more than reveal your stuff to you. Your fear! Your anger! Your pattern! Your craziness! As long as you insist on pointing the finger out there, at them, you will continue to miss out on the divine opportunity to clear your stuff. Here is a meantime tip—we love in others what we love in ourselves. We despise in others what we cannot see in ourselves.” ― Iyanla Vanzant

Facebook – @ThomasCountyPublicLibrarySystem

Instagram — @tcpls

Website – www.tcpls.org