Being Open-Minded

I went through some old boxes last night and ended up coming across my journal from elementary school. It was every bit the embarrassing treasure trove you’d imagine (especially the part where I declared my love for our student teacher), but one entry stuck out to me.

Loosely translated, it said:

“When you choose a book, sometimes you already have an idea in your head about it. That’s the attitude you’ll have through the whole book, and it’ll seem that way.”

Huh. Not a bad observation, little Carrie. In fact, it reminds me of something we’re all guilty of from time to time...

See, there are some people in this world who force-loan their books. They’re co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, classmates, etc. People you “know,” but don’t really know—if you know what I mean.  (Yep, three times. One sentence.) You’ve never shared interests or had any kind of book discussion with them, but they’re positive you’re going to love this book. They did, after all. Why wouldn’t you?

They ramble off some impromptu pitch, and you plaster on that I’m-feigning-interest-but-I’d-rather-watch-paint-dry smile. (Which is, of course, followed by the Oh-God-I-hope-you-forget-to-follow-up-on-this nod.) Maybe they make it sound boring. Maybe they make it sound pretentious. Either way, you form an opinion of the book long before it ever leaves their hands.

By the time you guilt yourself into reading it, you’ve already summoned the appropriate amount of dread. You glance at the clock and think, “Okay, I can probably power through this in a couple hours. Then I'll reward myself with a bottle of wine and my DVD collection of Firefly.” You grit through the first few chapters, hyperaware of the fact that you’re reading something against your will... but then (if you’re lucky), something funny happens.

You blink, and you’re one page 148.

Time passed, your guard lowered, but you have no recollection of anything outside the story. You became invested, despite your reservations, and now you have to finish it. Guess what? Come Monday morning, you’re going to be the one spouting this book’s praises—whether it’s to the person you borrowed it from or someone else.

Though, 47% of the time, the book will be a dud and you’ll have an awkward exchange to look forward to.  It happens.

Sometimes, you just have to be open-minded and give things a chance. You might be glad you did. :)

 

Have a great week, guys! ♥

P.S. Thanks to Nancy Thompson for the Great Comments Award! I appreciate it! :)

Question of the Week: Have you ever been force-loaned a book?