Columns | Kane County Chronicle

Yo Joan! Paradise lost one moment and found the next

Do you sometimes get the doldrums? Would you like a bit more glitz or pizazz in your life? Wouldn’t it be luverly to feel a twinkle of magic again?

Or maybe you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and looking for some peace and quiet amid all the craziness. You’re being pulled in so many directions you’re getting pulled apart.

Well, I know of a place nearby where twinkles of magic happen on a daily basis. And also a place where a sanctuary of peace is readily available to soothe hectic souls.

All this and more are wrapped up into the delightful gift of your local public library.

I’ve always loved libraries and as I’ve gotten older, I love them even more. For many years I’ve enjoyed teaching yoga and meditation courses in colleges and now I’m continuing the good life teaching in libraries.

Recently as I was passing by my library’s colorful children’s book display, “BOYOGI” caught my attention. What a great title! The intriguing cover artwork of yoga poses surrounding a military man on his knees hugging a child brought me in closer to the subtitle “How a Wounded Family Learned to Heal.” Now who wouldn’t want to read such a book?

So right then and there I sought out an unusually handsome man and coaxed him into sitting next to me on a soft-cushioned library seat so we could read this picture book together. By the way, if you’re single, you’ll find a lot of attractive people at the library. This man happened to be my husband, but if he weren’t, I certainly would marry him.

It took only about seven magical minutes for us to slowly read through this incredible book – a story about a father and veteran returning home to his young family a changed man. He’s no longer happy and carefree. His children don’t understand the changes in his personality. He looks the same but doesn’t act the same.

His wife enrolls them both in a yoga class at the local YMCA and transformations start to happen for the entire family, particularly for the father and son. It’s a book worth reading. I don’t want to give away too much. Just get it. You’ll see.

It might take you less than seven minutes to read it. I can be a slow reader. However, the incredible flowing illustrations by Noah Denmon and the sensitive meanings within the words by David Barclay Moore have a lingering effect. I sit here now days later still reflecting on its thoughtful gentle brilliance. Wow.

You could meet your match at the library, too. It’s all there for the taking. Every type of incredible vision of fiction, nonfiction and beyond, surrounded by the most attractive and fascinating people.

Yep, at the library, it’s just another day in paradise.

Joan Budilovsky can be reached at editorial@kcchronicle.com or through her website at Yoyoga.com or at a library near you.