I’ve been back in school for a month now, but without classes I didn’t feel like a scholar. After packing up my old, college backpack with study materials, snacks, and my favorite pencil and heading to the good, ol’ OPL to study my little brains out, I can say without hesitation that I feel like I’m back in school. (By the way, there’s a new, rather imposing statue of Lincoln in the lobby of the south wing. Perhaps because Lincoln was studious?)

This is my new norm. Or my old norm I suppose. Back to textbooks and assignments and tests and learning.

I can’t say I’m upset about spending my days at the library. Not only is the dusty, old-book smelling nature of the library good for the soul, libraries have a way of making one feel smarter. I am surrounded by opportunities for learning. Even counting only the possibilities visible from where I sit, the possibilities are endless; I could learn about nourishing a cactus, staging a musical, using homemade learning tools for helping children learn, playing scrabble with proven winning strategies, or making my own artist tools. (I admit it: I’m as prone to book watching as I am to people watching.)

Knowledge. Makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy inside.