How to keep your old books in one piece : a must read for entrepreneurs
Walking along the canals in Amsterdam this morning, I came across this piece of art. A park bench made out of old books.
It is a piece of art and each book has a story that it wishes to tell. Each book was put together by people who loved what is inside and wanted to share it with others. Each page is full of dialogue from authors all over the world, wanting to explore their inner most thoughts, passion, and view on something that they believe is meant not just for themselves but for others around them.
We each have a story to be told - don't we? As I sat in a coffee shop with my friend Huib today, we discussed some interesting life stories that people have shared with us in public forums. What we believed was a good story and some that we thought could be told in a different way, or perhaps should not be told at all.
It is a piece of art and each book has a story that it wishes to tell. Each book was put together by people who loved what is inside and wanted to share it with others. Each page is full of dialogue from authors all over the world, wanting to explore their inner most thoughts, passion, and view on something that they believe is meant not just for themselves but for others around them.
We each have a story to be told - don't we? As I sat in a coffee shop with my friend Huib today, we discussed some interesting life stories that people have shared with us in public forums. What we believed was a good story and some that we thought could be told in a different way, or perhaps should not be told at all.
"I don't have an interesting story," I said.
"No hard luck story, no abusive parents, no financial pain, no major illnesses, no ethnic prejudice - nothing that remotely makes me think that I have anything nearly as compelling as the people I speak to through my circle of friends, hear at conferences or read in books."
Am I less interesting because I have none of these things to share? Do I not have a story to tell that will keep you on the of your seats for at least one moment? Is it in my future, that my story will expand itself and my sheer luck or misfortune contaminate the clear water that has flowed smoothly down the stream?
They say "each of us has a book in us" at some stage in our lives. But really? Do we?
Maybe I am being too harsh on myself... something that I have been known to time and time again.
Perhaps my story is simple, yet true in its form. I grew up in a country town called Charters Towers in Queensland with just over 10,000 people and had little to do other than play make believe with my dolls on the sand dunes that inhabited the properties far western acreage.
What makes a girl move from a country town, with no real plan in mind? No desire to be anything other than what she is today. I never wanted to leave my country roots and I never had the dream to live in a big city or travel the world, yet i do all of these things and feel like it has always been in my blood.
Should someone have stopped me leaving this country town with so much character and perhaps encouraged me to do something meaningful in the area. Create jobs for people who have no real opportunity to be employed in anything as creative and exciting as myself.
These are all questions that may one day be explored. So, perhaps, there is a book in all of us after all.
Leave a comment
Make sure you enter all the required information, indicated by an asterisk (*). HTML code is not allowed.
comments ( 3 )
Manon
21 Jan 2013Everyone's life is different and absolutely I agree, we all have a story.
ReplyHarley Young
16 Nov 2012This book bench is a fabulous idea, i love it! I'm afraid my story may be similar to yours. I too have dealt with no real down-and-out issues in my life, all has been relatively smooth sailing. However I would rather it stayed that way, and I can just read other peoples stories!
ReplyThere are things we all go through in life, such as heartbreak and disappointment that can turn around, and into love and happiness. Everyone's journey is different, so, yes, i agree, we all have a story in us somewhere.
Marjolein Berfelo
29 Oct 2012Aha, so you're in my country! That means you're going to have big fun, enjoy!
ReplyI think that 'bad news' or a 'heavy period' are things that sell good and people feel like sharing it because they have to talk about it.
But I think that a book about a good life is something that much more people can relate too! As long as there's a lesson in your story and it made you the person who you are (and you're a great person) it's worth sharing it and it might be a guideline to others!