A New Beginning
The air feels crisp outside this morning. And I have to be honest; it’s been a nice change of pace after the extremely humid summer we had here in the midwest. The fewer days I have to spend wringing sweat out of my t-shirt, the better. Don’t get me wrong, I really do love warm weather. But autumn will always be my favorite.
Football is back, for one. I don’t know about you, but as much as I love laying by the pool with a book, I almost like screaming at the boys on the field when they don’t play the way I want them to even more. There’s also something about the way it smells outside when the leaves are changing color and the grass is still wet in the morning from the fog hanging in the air. And as everyone heads back to school for the year, it feels like a new beginning. That probably has more to do with the fact that we were conditioned to think that way throughout our entire childhood than with it actually being a “fresh start,” but it feels like one regardless.
This year looked a little different for me as I left a career I thought I’d be in until retirement and went back to school myself. It’s been a major change, definitely anxiety inducing, but it’s helping me discover exactly who I want to be & where I want this life to take me next. And I think that’s an important thing for all of us to examine. Because sometimes we end up in places we thought we wanted only to realize another path is better suited for us. That’s what brought me here, writing to you, today.
I have dreamed of owning my own used-book store for as long as I can remember. One of those places you meet people because they’re also looking for that next world to explore inside the pages of a well-worn novel. The kind that feels welcoming, warm, and homey. The space you can disappear in for an hour, or a day, where no one is judging you. I never wanted the Internet-cafe or the pristine new release table. I wanted to feature local artists, connect with my community, and put a smile on someone’s face because they found a little piece of heaven on Earth in my shop.
One day I will have that hole-in-the-wall retail space, but for now, we’re here. We’re alive! And we’re already booking vendor spaces and pop-ups to share with you our love of stories, the visual arts, and hand-me-down family recipes that will bring you right back to being five-years-old baking cookies in Grandma’s kitchen. Because of you, I get to live out this dream of mine and I cannot wait to see you out there. Until then: enjoy our posts, keep an eye out for event dates, and connect with us on social @motherduckco 🙂
XO – Mother Duck