On Continuing To Tell a Good Story

I know, I know. It's been a long time since I've written. What can I say? This whole trying to cram a bunch of life changes into a span of 6-8 months has been exhausting.

As most of my 'regular' readers [do you even exist?] know, this blog grew out of my time as a librarian in Uganda. I was determined to tell a good story while I lived there...I wanted my time in Uganda to be about other people, about loving them and learning from them, and not really about me at all. For the most part, I think I was successful. I learned to be a part of a new culture and to embrace the job I was there to do. I loved my time in Uganda. I love the friends I made there and the people I met. I miss them. I loved the work I did and the library I helped. That experience holds a very, very special place in my heart.

And here I am, more than six months later [what??] and trying to still figure out what the heck a US Library Story looks like. What MY story looks like. [And, as a result, what this blog should look like now.]

One of the things I'm learning in this process of not actually having a 'library' story but rather just a story, is that sometimes our lives aren't about anything big and grand and adventurous. Sometimes, a good story simply means learning to cook a new meal or being patient with the rude person in front of me in line at the grocery store or unpacking a box because it will make our new home less chaotic or calling a friend to whom I haven't talked to in a long time.

Right now my 'library' story mostly consists of applications, resumes, cover letters, interviews, phone calls, and emails. And, at this point, a temporary position at the local library [more on that another time].

I guess ultimately, what I'm discovering is that if I define my purpose in life by the activities I am currently doing, I will probably be disappointed. I don't want the ultimate purpose of my life to be: 'go to the grocery store and do laundry'. So instead I'm trying to frame what I do everyday into the context of a bigger story. To remember once again that this is just a chapter. My whole life is the story...not just the errands I run today or the load of laundry I fold. It's the choices I make with my attitude while I do those things that make a good story. And the new-to-Minneapolis-trying-to-find-a-job-and-figure-out-my-new-[and-married]-life chapter is just a small piece of the bigger story.

I don't know what my purpose is right now, exactly. But I'm thinking it simply has to do with loving the few people around me and being patient with myself. Giving myself grace while I figure this out. And finding ways to re-engage with the library world. To slowly learn what a [cold!] Minnesota Library Story looks like. And maybe to find ways to do exactly what I did in Uganda: listen to the stories around me and try to let my life be about others.