Sunday soul

I’m re-reading another Philip R. Craig mystery, Death on a Vineyard Beach, and came upon this:

Fishing is good for the soul, and mine felt like it needed some TLC right at the moment.

My question for you is: what do you do when your soul needs some TLC?

I tend to (in no particular order): pray, read, make a pot of tea, go out for a walk (away from people if at all possible), clean something, get out in nature, have some chocolate, write, or look at something beautiful.  A combination of any of those things is even better.  Of course, a hug and a willing ear from my husband or a good friend are a big help,too.

What about you?  What heals your soul?  I’m asking because I’d like to know, so please leave a comment and let’s have a conversation.

Libraries and a few related thoughts

“Libraries are some of my favorite places.  They’re filled with books and information and give you the good feeling that no matter how much you’ve read there’s an endless amount of reading material still ahead of you, so you never have to worry about running out.  It’s a nice certainty in an uncertain world.”

Cliff Hanger, Philip R. Craig

Libraries are one of our nation’s richest treasures, places where anyone can go and learn almost anything.  You may use a computer there if you don’t own one.  You may borrow an e-reader or check out a virtual book.  You may read magazines, find movies, check out music.  No matter the method, you can discover the world.  Library levies are the only tax increases I vote for these days.   I can’t imagine my life without libraries and books and if I had to buy all the books I read, my husband and I would both have to work two jobs each.  The discussion of books vs. Kindles or other e-readers isn’t a discussion that interests me.  I love real books and I love being able to take thousands of books with me in my purse.  I love to read and I love whatever facilitates reading.

That so many children get passed through grade after grade without ever learning to read is one of our greatest shames.

Wednesday wisdom

Here are a few quotes I like that I ran across recently in books I was reading.  The books were fiction, not non-fiction; mysteries, not classics or philosophy; demonstrating that there is wisdom to be found in many places.