Change is hard but also enlivening. That’s what they say, she thought. Besides, her horoscope predicted a good change in her life. Something to do with solving problems in an unusual backdoor kind of way. She thought about the calendar. All those days with words written under them: appointments, deadlines, birthdays, bills due, classes, promises, wishes, plans. How could she change when all that future was waiting for her, expecting her, counting on her?
She stood up and went to the fridge where her to-do list was. She tore it off and crumpled it up in her hand. I think I may have contracted a severe case of amnesia. I’ll say I forgot. I got distracted. I had to do something else. It was urgent. It was necessary. It could no longer be put off. I am researching the art of ghosting. Yes. I am going to disappear.
The phone rang. And rang again. She didn’t look at it. She put on her shoes and coat and left the house, locking it behind her.
She sat on the steps to consider her next act. Where could she go where no one would think to look for her? Could she hide in plain sight? Could she actually spend the day somewhere else incognito? Where would she like to go and what would she like to do? She stood up and began walking north towards the river.
She noticed that Mrs. Cook was washing her car. Old man Turner’s Christmas lights were still clinging to his eaves. Sally’s dog Goose was sleeping on her porch. Grumpy Doctor Love was also asleep on his porch. No one noticed her as she walked by. She smiled and looked up into the canopy of Elm leaves arching over the road. Oh no, here comes Joe riding his bike. She stepped behind a tree trunk and slowly moved so he was always just out of sight. Whew!
As she got closer to the bridge crossing the river she noticed that traffic was denser, the drivers distracted by their radios, their plans, their anxieties. Halfway across the bridge she stopped and looked at the water below. The water didn’t look busy. The water, however, wasn’t interested in her either.
She walked and walked, turning down streets spontaneously whenever something drew her attention. She admired gardens and houses. She counted blue cars on one block and then red cars on the next one. She noticed windows and whether they were open or closed. She said hello to all the cats that crossed her path. She heard car radios and people calling across yards. She smelled blossoms, and food cooking. She came to shops and cafes. She arrived at the public library. She went in, took a book randomly off a shelf and sat down to read it.
“This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life” by I. M. Cummings. She randomly opened it to Chapter Two. “Now you’ve thrown out the to-do list and you’re out exploring your environment. Congratulations!” How does he know? “The world is full of interesting things to see, hear, smell and touch. How about that donut shop? Smells delicious, doesn’t it? Go ahead and have a taste.” She sniffed the air and sure enough she could smell donuts. This book was prognostic.
She put the book back on the shelf and looked around the library. There were old men reading newspapers, women with children negotiating space and time, teenagers whispering and laughing, librarians staring at computer screens. She wandered through the stacks and behind the reading carrels, finally stopping at a staff desk to ask “What book in the library is read by the most people?” The librarian looked up and smiled. “That would be, ‘This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life’ by I. M. Cummings. May I help you with something?”
She stared at the librarian and then said, “Yes. I am looking for something unusual to do. Perhaps I can find it in a book. Can you suggest anything?”
The librarian smiled, “There’s an old woman who comes in every day. She is sitting over there. I suggest you go and talk to her. Ask her about her life. She might have some ideas for you.”
She walked over to where the old woman was sitting. “Excuse me. May I bother you?”
The old woman gestured for her sit beside her on the couch. Then she closed her eyes and began to speak. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved stories and who loved being read to. She went to the library every week and got piles of books out to give her mother to read to her. Her mother read to her every night all week until all the books had been read at least once. The little girl was amazed at the complexity of the world, how different people were in the books, and yet also how much they were like her in some ways. She considered all the stories as part of her life, her friends, her community. She lived through the books and when her mother died she came to the library every day hoping that someone would read to her. She was interested in everything. The book didn’t matter. If the reader liked the book so much the better.”
“Why didn’t the girl read the books to herself?”
“She didn’t know how.”
“Surely she could learn how.”
“No. She couldn’t see, you see. She could only listen.”
” You must know a lot of stories.”
“But never enough. There are always more to know.”
“Would you like me to read you a story?
” Of course, thank you.”
“Change is hard but also enlivening. That’s what they say. This story is about a woman who wanted to change her life but didn’t know how. One day she crumpled up her to-do list and left her house to wander about the city. She saw, heard and smelled many interesting things.”
“Like what, for instance?”
“She saw Mrs. Cook washing her car and old man Turner’s Christmas lights that were still clinging to his eaves. Sally’s dog Goose was sleeping on her porch and Grumpy Doctor Love was also asleep on his porch. And Joe was riding his bike towards her.”
“I can see them, now.”
“She admired gardens and houses. She counted blue cars on one block and then red cars on the next one. She noticed windows and whether they were open or closed. She said hello to all the cats that crossed her path. She heard car radios and people calling across yards. She smelled blossoms, and food cooking. She came to shops and cafes. She marveled at all the amazing evidence of life around her. Her to-do list seemed unimportant, forgotten in the riches of the world around her.”
“What happened next?”
“She came upon the main library downtown and went in. Inside she met a woman who liked stories and who was willing to listen to hers. She decided she would come to the library every day to read stories to this woman. And in this way, she solved her problem.”
The old woman nodded and smiled. “I guess I will see you tomorrow, then.”
“Yes, tomorrow, after I’ve done my to-do list.”
Life is interesting 