They say confession is good for the soul which may or may not be true if you choose a newspaper column to be your confessional venue.
I’m helping with the One Book/One Community initiative sponsored by the Marion County Public Library. No absolution required yet. I like to read. It was a no-brainer to support a program that encourages community-wide reading of, and thoughtful dialogue about, relevant subject matter.
This year’s book selection is “Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Waters of the U.S.” by Florida Trend journalist Cynthia Barnett.
I’ve read “Mirage” and am quite glad I did. Trouble is — confession forthcoming — I didn’t want to read “Mirage.”
This may sound odd coming from a person who loves this kind of non-fiction. Give me a writer who connects the political, environmental and economic dots and I’m happy.
“Mirage” should have been a welcome addition. The problem: I wasn’t happy. During the last few months, the dots were a little too well-connected when matching a universe off tilt with a downward spiraling economy. I didn’t want a writer to tell me what was happening. I got it. I was living it. Most likely, you were, too.
As a result, my reading preference changed.
Confession Number Two: I began reading what my sisters and I call “good beach books” (Translation: Fluff titles that always end up with a sappy ending where a hunky widowed doctor marries a fair maiden who escaped to a summer cottage to erase painful memories of a lost love … or something to that effect.) Embarrassing, I know. Besides, don’t these literary characters ever work? Thankfully, the fluff got old just as the library announced “Mirage” as the community’s One Book.
Still, I hesitated. Did I need an author to remind me what’s not working in our state and country?
However, after reading Barnett’s book, I realized this isn’t what “Mirage” is about. From a compelling opening narrative to a hopeful and meditative conclusion, Barnett reminds the reader we could always use another example of what could work for meaningful change in our state and in our lives. When it comes to water, we need to pay closer attention to this vanishing resource.
I’ve participated in several One Book discussions with individuals a lot like me. I’m struck by our universal desire to want to know more about water issues and to do more to save this precious resource. Citizen-readers are responding in thoughtful conversations about ways to protect and preserve this precious commodity. Business and community leaders are talking about adding sustainable measures in work and policy alike.
So thank you, Cynthia Barnett, for reminding me that happy endings aren’t limited to fairy tales but are, rather, of our own making. Granted, getting there can be bumpy. For starters, we can pick up a really good book. That’s better for the soul anyway.
