Joy Spotting in Iowa
Bright spots in the face of everything
I, like so many others, have a practice of joy spotting. Seeking out joy every day in generally small things. The trillium that pops up every year in our yard. The sky at sunrise with the moon setting. A brief conversation or connection with a stranger. The sigh of a dog when relaxed. Joy spotting is not just about pretty things or happy thoughts. It is about remembering that we can find joy everywhere, if we look for it. It is believing that joy is an act of resistance. When everything around us is telling us to give up because it is all bad all of the time, actively seeking joy reminds me that everything is not broken and there is room for hope. The darkness wins when we give up.
In the midst of what can only be described as an attempt at an authoritarian take over of our government, daily life does continue. We still need to grocery shop, even if we are reminded about every tariff as we contemplate what to buy and what we can do without. We still need to care for ourselves as best we can and care for others. That is what I was doing in Iowa last week. My mother-in-law is struggling with dementia and for a variety of reasons I needed to fly to Iowa to spend some time with her.
You may be wondering how joy and my trip to Iowa connect with archives or writing. It does, just stick with me.
I love to visit libraries (and grocery stores) when I travel. I have a collection of pictures of me in front of libraries on my website. People tell me it is their favorite part of the website. I have added several new pictures that include various libraries I stopped at while in Iowa.
My mother-in-law and I often spend our one on one time together going to museums, looking at stuff in stores and getting coffee. I thought she might like to visit the library where she lives in Washington, IA. I remembered that she had made a friend of one of the librarians so I thought we could say hello. When we entered the library, one of the librarians called out her name and came up to give her a hug. Dementia limits the world around us including human connections, so I felt so grateful for this kindness.
Me being me, when offered a tour of the library, I immediately accepted and off we went to see the new maker spaces that the library had built. I let her know that I also have my library degree and am an archivist so we could talk shop. I was so impressed with the community spaces they have built. This small town in eastern Iowa has created a public space welcoming to all and serving the needs of the community for free. Libraries are the last remaining free public spaces in the United States where all are welcome from children coming in for summer reading programs to people coming in to get warm in the winter months to seniors coming in to learn computer skills. Of course there are books too, but the library offers to much more. This is why libraries are dangerous - they are all about connection. Connection resists division.
Here are a few highlights of the Washington Iowa Free Public Library.
They turned their basement storage into a maker space and archives. A studio booth, a scanning station, a 3D printing station, a laser cutting station and the most requested activity from the community a potting studio with 3 wheels and a kiln. Community members also use the space for gathering to learn things like calligraphy. The point is that people gather, that people connect.
There were meetings rooms, a local photography club’s annual pictures of Iowa barns, prints of photos from the local newspaper that is currently being digitized, of course there were books and quiet places to read, write and think. The space was welcoming and bright.
I always visit a bathroom before I leave anywhere I go (because it is the smart thing to do) and I found a few more reasons to love this library. Free tampons and pads, information on shower services at the Y, and a mental health resources guide. People come to library for all kinds of reasons and libraries rise to meet those needs. That is the thing about libraries and the people who work in libraries - it is about people and empowering people with information and tools. And that is what makes us powerful.
The recording is a little rough, but you get the idea.
Oh Mary - I have to share this post with my daughter Karin, who lives in Austin and works for a small family foundation that funds libraries in very small Texas towns, and for the last two years have been encouraged to request grants to remodel and reconceive their libraries, and Karin accompanies and works with the architect, and is so proud of what they’ve been able to create. I hope I’ll be able to figure out how to share this post.
This is great, Mary. I, too, have a family member struggling with dementia, and this post is a little buoy in rough seas. Thank you