One
of my favorite childhood memories is spending New Year’s Eve with my grandparents.
They lived in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire, a spot overlooking Mt Shaw and
surrounded by pine trees and heaps of snow in the winter. During this time, I
remember a fire in the fireplace and the smell of Nana’s homemade fish chowder.
Sometimes my family would stay up to watch the ball drop in New York City but more
often we’d gather in the living room where each person would share what they
were grateful for in the past year. It was a peaceful, reflective time.
Needless
to say the calm often disappeared the next day when the mad scribblings of New
Year’s resolutions began. Even now the difference between a goal and a
resolution confound me. However, I found the clearest distinction between these
two words on author Gretchen Rubin’s blog. She says: “You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution.”
In other words, if healthy living is your resolution, Pilates might be your
goal.
After
many, many years of struggling with my annual list of resolutions, I’ve come to
a wonderful conclusion. This is big news, so listen up! All of your goals and
resolutions can be met by the public library. “What’s that?” you say. “Did you
go heavy on the eggnog?” “How can the library possibly help me fulfill my goals
in 2017?”
Well,
I’m glad you asked. Let us count the ways together.
1. Perhaps
you’ve been meaning to help others in your community but you aren’t sure where
to begin. Did you know the Morrill Memorial Library has one of the twelve
Literacy Affiliate programs in the State of Massachusetts? If you have the time
and desire to help adult learners improve their literacy skills, the library
has an opportunity for you. Likewise, our Outreach department has volunteers
who deliver books and resources to patrons who are physically unable to get to
the library.
2. Are
you hoping to read more this year? Well, how about that? The library happens to
have books galore. But let’s get specific. Not only do we circulate the latest
Best Sellers, but should you be too busy to enter our doors, we have a solution
for you too. You can borrow books using OverDrive and Hoopla on your cellphone
or tablet with your library card. And, if you don’t want to read alone, we have
a variety of book clubs available for you to join.
3. Need
to shape up? Ah, that fateful word—exercise. I believe I heard a community sigh
echo across the room. But let’s think about it in the broad sense of becoming
healthier this year. You can accomplish this goal at your public library as
well. We have exercise DVDs for the young, the mature and the restless.
Everything from Kick Starting Your Metabolism to Cardio Kickboxing. We also
have Pilates and Yoga, for the gentler souls.
4. Then
again, you may prefer to revamp your diet rather than twist your body into a
variety of yoga contortions. We have a bevy of cookbooks for the occasion. My Kitchen Year:
136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl “follows
the change of seasons as Reichl heals through the simple pleasures of cooking
after the abrupt closing of Gourmet magazine.” Or try Good and Cheap:
Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown. “If you're
living on a tight budget, Brown shows you how to maximize every ingredient and
gives you tips on economical cooking methods; shopping and kitchen equipment;
and much more.” And you can’t go wrong with Ree Drummond. Her book entitled The Pioneer Woman Cooks:
Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-minute Meals, and Other
Delicious Ways to Solve Supper answers the question “What’s for Dinner?” with 125
simple recipes for the whole family.
5. Want
to stay in touch with family and friends but your social networking skills are
a bit rusty? While we offer a variety of structured classes, you are welcome to
sign up for individual technology assistance with our fabulous gurus. Some of
the topics covered are help purchasing new technology, using a mobile device
tablet, or Facebook and Twitter guidance.
6. Who
doesn’t want to add “Seeing the World” as a resolution for this year? The
library has a whole travel section on our second floor. You can prepare for
your trip ahead of time, without purchasing every single guide. And, speaking
of travel, does your passport need updating? The Morrill Memorial Library is
now an authorized US Passport Acceptance Facility. Several staff members have
been trained to process passport applications. Book an appointment online,
bring all your required paperwork and payment, and soon you will be all set to
jet.
7. Maybe
you’d like to learn something new! We have workshops and lectures ready and
waiting for you. Our Reference and Children’s departments create wonderful
programs for all ages, including movie nights (with movie theater popcorn),
expert speakers, and Learn to Knit classes. Maybe your child/grandchild can
introduce you to a new board game (which you can now check out from the
library) or to Queen Elsa when she visits.
8. But
wait! There’s more! Have you been meaning to find some of those relatives who
may have fallen off of your family tree? We have several databases that could
help you trace your roots. American Ancestors and Ancestry Library must be used
at the library but Heritage Quest may be searched from home or a device with
your library card. Also, Joe Petrie is our volunteer genealogist. You may
schedule a one on one appointment with him for two hours and he will assist
with your research using the online databases.
Isn’t that
amazing? So many of your New Year’s resolutions can be found under the roof of
your public library. In
the words of Ray Bradbury, “Without libraries
what have we? We have no past and no future.” What are you waiting for? Come
check us out!
