August 1, 2019 – The Westport Library

“Refuge”

Welcoming, inclusive, and free. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Bustling with activity yet offering calm and quiet nooks spread out.

Libraries have been like a second home to me in the past decades. I'd regularly take my two young kids to the Library children’s section. As newcomers to town back in the late 80s, school and library signified an instant connection to the town, anchoring us to place and community.

We would sit on the carpet. They would pick their picture books, change their mind, pick different ones, play with books-cum-toys, until they settled and browsed, reading their first letters.

As they grew up, went to school and left town, the library has been my own refuge, my calm place, my inspiration. It was instrumental in allowing me the concentration provided by this inviting environment to dedicate years within its walls to complete academic pursuits or research endeavors. While no longer with pressing commitments or deadlines, the Westport Library is still my go-to place, my retreat. It is my launch platform to the world of ideas. It keeps me anchored to town life, offering me a harbor from which I can explore or rediscover my own thoughts.

LMLM