Exhilaration And Enchanted Ground

There is a saying that says “anything worth having may not come easy.” That surely is quite true. I look back and use to think that I had a boring childhood. We did not have a lot of money or many material things. Yet, we were happy because as I have said before, everyone in the neighborhood was in the same predicament. We loved going to the Enoch Pratt Free Library, where we could borrow books, but we could not talk too loud. The old librarian always was there watching you to make sure you were barely whispering and not talking too loud. She wanted you to get your books and either go home after they were hand stamped out on your precious library card; or if you sat at an old wooden table to read something, there she was again. You were not allowed to drink, eat or snack which was understandable, because you would get crumbs in the books. Of course, many times you found those same crumbs in the books you took out to bring home. To own your very own book purchased in a wonderful book store was a meaningful event. This happened usually in the December holiday time, when a gift we appreciated was a nice, new, clean, no crumbs book that you could write your name in and it was yours. Mom had a friend when she was young and they were all extremely poor. Mom owned this delightful book and she was so proud to be its owner. She wrote her name in there on the front page: Lea Weinstein. One day her best friend Ida came over and asked if she could just borrow the book for the weekend. Mom wanted to say no, but Ida was her best friend. Ida kept the book for six months and every time Mom asked for it, Ida said she was still reading it. Finally, Mom went to Ida’s house and saw her beloved book sitting on Ida’s shelf. Mom picked it up and told her she was taking it finally home. Ida said “it is not your book, you gave it to me” Mom said “I loaned it to you, see here is my name on the front page.” When she opened it up, lo and behold, the front page was gone and Ida insisted that mom had given it to her for her birthday. What was Mom to do, she went home forlorn, did not talk to Ida for years and their friendship was gone. Fifty years later, Mom and Ida were in the same hospital in the same week. Mom got a visit one day and there was Ida, who she had not seen for fifty years. She came down to see Mom and they started to talk. Mom reminded her about why they did stop talking for that long period of time until this hospital visit. She laughed and said “yes, Lea, it was your book, I lied, and I wanted to own a book for myself.” I had a similar thing happen to me. I had a paperback inexpensive book called The Wine And The Music and it was a true love story between a priest and a woman in his parish. They fell in love and he left the church to marry her and they had several children. It was beautifully written and I loved the sentiments in the book of the priest for falling for a woman after so many years of priesthood. One day, a lady asked to borrow it when she saw me finish reading it while in the hair salon. I should have remembered Ida and Mom, I said ye Every Friday, I asked her for the book and she said she was still reading it. Finally, I demanded she return it to me and she said she had loaned it to her friend and her friend lost it. Wow, history repeated itself and I should have learned what I called the Mom Lesson. There was nothing I could do. About eight years ago, I was on the internet and looked up that title. Of course, it was out of print, but there was one copy slightly used and I am not into buying used things or books. I took a chance and bought it for about five dollars and free delivery. It was used and when it arrived in pretty good shape. I opened the front cover and inside was Elita Sohmer Clayman. I could not believe my eyes. Here was my own book loaned to Estelle who would not give it back to me and somehow it wound up on the internet and I bought it. I was amazed that this had happened to me. When I told my husband, he looked in the front page and could not believe it either. Now days we all have so many possessions, jewelry, sports items, clothing, home decor, several automobiles per homes, knick knacks, books galore, computers, cellphones, DVD players, many television sets in one home, magazines and anything we desire; that a book that was taken, given or bought would not even be thought of as very valuable, if it was missing or lost. As the saying goes anything worth having does not always come in an easy manner. My dear Emily Dickinson wrote: Exhilaration is the breeze That lifts us from the ground And leaves us in another place Whose statement is not found Returns us not, but after time We soberly descend A little newer for the term Upon enchanted ground The return of a book was a momentous occasion to me, the loss of the book and a friendship for Mom, were all important moments in our lives. We can all be exhilarated by so many things; some small, some large, some important and some even unimportant. It is necessary for life to continue to sometimes and maybe more often times, to be exhilarated and perked up often in our lives. It can be waiting for Christmas, waiting for your grandchildren to come and visit you or you them, it can be starting a new hobby, it can be getting a new haircut or hair coloring, it can be watching our beloved Ravens play football and win, it can be getting a new job or buying a new home, it can be replacing items in the home with newer ones. It can be anything that makes you exhilarated and I just read a new article tonight that being a positive person and thinking positively can help not to have a heart attack. I know that every time I complete a written article on life, on my young teenage years way back when, on ballroom dancing, on being a wife, mother, daughter, Grammie, friend, I feel this thing called invigoration and even called exhilaration. So the moral of this story or the theme of this article can be: have some exhilaration in your life weekly or monthly or whenever you can become “a little newer for the term upon enchanted ground.” Also never loan a book you love to anyone, even a friend unless you plan on never seeing it again. Now with Kindle and Nook, you really never have to loan a book and therefore your exhilaration will stay quite gladdened. Glad you will be, perked up and “lifted from the ground and in another place.” A good place. elita sohmer clayman Fairfax station patch More from Hunt Valley-Cockeysville Patch