I have been wondering if the phrase imagine it and they will come is more apt than build it and they will come. Build it, this implies that there is a building site, and a building, and this is what draws them in.

The Bright Lights Book Project is and will remain peripatetic. This is the beauty of it. There is no one central location; rather, there are several locations. You browse at your leisure, in multiple places.

I have said this before, and it’s worth repeating. I did initially envision having a bookstore, one with wood floors and nice bookcases and plants and lots of space and a kid’s area. There would also be a chess board, and a Scrabble table. Of course, coffee and tea would be readily available.

I would not let it get to the point in which there would be so many books that certain ones would be hard to find. All books would be accessible.

Yes, I initially envisioned this but had to forego this vision because I could not afford the overhead. And I would not be able to afford a building. And in order to pay the overhead, I’d have to sell books, lots of books. Then and now it is not a buyer’s book market.

So, I decided to set up distribution stations, which I knew would be rent free. And I decided to give away the books. This has worked out well. I would like to have an income, but have I decided to forego this possibility for now.

So where does the phrase. “build it and they will come” fit in? In this instance, build it is right now is more metaphorical than not. Build it really means imagine it. Yes, imagine having access to free books, ones that you don’t have to return to the library. These books catch your eye, and as you make your way from one place to another.

So what if we get the grant for the building? Would this negate the peripatetic nature of this project? Yes and no. There would be a building all right, one located in a specific spot. Here books will be sorted, cleaned, categorized, and distributed. But readers will still go to various sites in order to get books. Also, books will still keep being sent to villages. And they will remain free.

It’s good, I think, to keep the vision in mind, and of course allow for occasional tweaking of this vision.

I talked with Bea Adler today, and she is going to look into a videographer making a video about the project. I have my fingers crossed that this will come about because we could use the publicity. But just as importantly, a video would be one way of going about telling the stories that have come about as this project has evolved. All involved have stories. And these stories are community based. But again, I tell myself, if it’s to be, it will be. If it doesn’t be, I’ll just let it be. Right now, though, my imagination is running unfettered.

282. October 12, 2021: Sensory Overload