Three On Thursday
Today is a day for my favorite sort of Thursday post, the kind where I’ve got 3 random things to talk about.
Thing One: The Read With Us discussion of Shuggie Bain is next Tuesday, June 8th! Kym and Bonny and I will be blogging about the book and asking questions on our blogs during the day. In the evening (7 pm to be exact) we are hosting a Zoom discussion and we invite you all to join us and talk about this amazing book. If you’d like a link to join the Zoom discussion you can leave a comment here and I’ll make sure you get one.
Thing Two: Speaking of Zoom, I was listening to a podcast yesterday and not really paying attention (my mind wanders, what can I say?) but I heard something along the lines about how we should set up our screens so that the other Zoom-ers can see our hand gestures. I’m sure there was more to the discussion but I’ve been thinking about this ever since and wondering if talking with our hands is one of the connections we truly miss while on Zoom. It makes a lot of sense because expressing ourselves with our hands is such an important way of communicating with people.
Thing Three: The governor lifted all COVID restrictions effective last Saturday and in preparation for that I removed the yellow caution tape that had been on all of our comfortable chairs at the library since March 2020. I teared up a bit at this full circle moment, acknowledging the joy of doing this as compared to the sadness I felt last year when I changed the message on the library phones saying that the library was closed indefinitely. Of course, we’ve been open in a limited capacity since late last summer, but this week was the first time we greeted patrons with out masks on our faces and smiling at them again felt wonderful. Next week we’ll be back to 6 days a week and everyone is really looking forward to it!
And that’s it for this Thursday. Thanks to anyone joining in this week!
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Such great 3-random-things! We still need to mask up at our library . . . but we’re nearly at the end of it. It’s so nice to be out and about and see actual SMILES again. XO
What a happy moment it must’ve been to remove that caution tape! I am really looking forward to taking my first trip back to the library (I’m planning to go with my daughter either this weekend or next week, after she’s done with school for the year). I think we still have some restrictions in place here, but at least we can get back in the building again, and that is so exciting.
All of our restrictions have been lifted in NJ, but probably 60% of people are still wearing masks (including me) and many places are still only doing curbside pickup. I got a gyro last night and when I picked it up the owner told me that she can’t reopen indoor seating yet because she can’t find enough staff to wait tables. Congratulations on reopening the library, smiling at patrons, and removing the caution tape!
We are still masking at our library (it is because we have some very vulnerable people who visit) and I am happy to continue doing so. But the joy of having the library be OPEN is just the best thing ever! Thank you for sharing your library moment!
I am looking forward to sitting in a chair at my library – maybe on the next rainy day.
So happy for you and your patrons! I’ll see what Gardner is up to when I return Shuggie. (I listened but wanted to read some things too…)They never opened during the entire pandemic except for curbside-quick-in-and-out of the lobby. No browsing. We shall see!
Congratulations on being free again! I am sure it feels like nothing else you have encountered, and I am patiently waiting for when I can do it down here. I am still wearing a mask in public places because our vaccination rate is pitiful! Most people in my city are continuing to wear them, except outdoors, but we will get there eventually (I hope!). What can I say? I live in a backward state.
I hope we are able to start next school year without masks. My students miss my expressions. And I miss theirs.
I haven’t seen the thing about seeing people’s hands on Zoom … makes sense though!
and your library is ahead of ours – we are open 6 days a week now, but masks required and there are tables available, but no comfy chairs. I’m thinking parts of Atlanta/Fulton County are going to be really slow to ease up on mask restrictions (although my northern suburb is pretty much mask-free now). still. it’s great progress!