A diary entry, slightly amended and possibly extended.
Sometimes I get the urge to walk to a big bookshop on a Sunday that I know will have all of the books that my local doesn’t. And then the urge leaves and instead I want to stay in my immediate surroundings, walking no more than five minutes in any direction to reach typical spots like cafés, pharmacies, one or two clothes shops and, of course, that not-as-good bookshop nearby. In five minutes I can also reach a plain of grass with a fountain and space to lie and read and wander aimlessly. More commonly known as a park. To be honest, a lot of my weekends are taken up with aimless wanders to browse and window shop. All this does is challenge an (endless) shopping wish list and my decision making skills. The latter is definitely made stronger by the privilege I have being right in the centre of a city. I don’t take this for granted but I’d be lying if I said I’m not even a little excited to face fewer options and thus have to make fewer decisions sometime soon. As the days go on I realise there are so many reasons for a change to happen. A lot of them I didn’t know I needed even a month ago.
I end up at the poorly-stocked bookshop. I notice Georgia O’Keefe’s My New Yorks that I’ve never seen before, perfect for a coffee table that I don’t have. I still manage to buy a book that my shelf - which is actually just the top of a wicker hamper - will frown upon and refuse to store. I (finally) finish the last fifty pages of Salinger’s Franny and Zooey in an over-pillowed corner of my bed. I decide that it’s probably my favourite book ever despite not a whole lot happening. But I remember that this is why I like Salinger. I watch Julie & Julia as it rains outside. I’ll open the new book once this is published.
See you soon.
relate to this hard. i think the options initially draw us to cities, especially if you’re from a place with few, but after having so many for so long it really does help you see the beauty in fewer.
also, “In five minutes I can also reach a plain of grass with a fountain and space to lie and read and wander aimlessly. More commonly known as a park” — i’m dead 😂