I used to say this about the colleges I was looking at- when I walked on the campus. I felt a connection to the location. Be it the campus grounds, the dorm, the buildings, I could tell the feeling I had when I felt a closeness and a feeling like, “I could live here.” That never took me down a wrong turn or did me wrong in my decisions. It reminds me of a dowsing rod.

April 25th, 2026 – Yes this is Independent Book Store Day. But let me try to explain why this is so much more than a annual mark on a calendar. As I started out Friday after school – I headed to The Crafty Reader in Milton – and at the last day of the work week – It was a reward to be able to escape to a bookstore. That is the very thing- when I walked into The Crafty Reader, I realized the coziness, personable factor, and specialization of what an Independent Bookstore can provide is not even a close throw to what you will receive online. I totally get, 100%, the feeling of convenience of ordering online and to your door. However, the long term impact of the feeling- talking with actual people- the feeling of visually being in a location and feeling the relaxation and quiet- (yes you can get this at home but if you have ever been in a bookstore, 100% totally different) – this is the same as engorging 100% online as we did during Covid, or being immersed 100% in technology versus limiting the screen time and app time, and yes, phone time and inputting more kinesthetic experiences, and it makes a difference in your mood, your optimism, your personality, and even your eyes (and definitely your brain).

I will tell you true, in simply just seeing, taking in the quiet and cozy space of The Crafty Reader in person, and being able to come and go, and look and read in the pages of whatever I wanted? It helped me recover from a week, let alone a Friday, of phone calls every 5 minutes, emails every 2 minutes, and requests and needs every 30 seconds for 9 hours. I literally can feel my nerves and blood jumping inside my body from the tasks that keep coming at me for that 8-9 hours- and the last thing I usually want to do is see more people after taking in the capacity for the day my body and brain can handle and yet- the bookstore and the people therein help me calm down find a center of where I can just BE and become that much more calm. I did grab a book there that to be honest, so far is FABULOUS – Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire. Never saw it, heard of it and it is an amazing read. I obtained my first stamp for my passport as well, which in the scheme of things ranked lower than all of the above mentioned.

There is so much more than meets the eye when it comes to Independent Book stores. I found that out even more on Saturday – stay tuned to see the totally unexpected turn of events and who I ran into on Independent Book Store Day in the next post.