Good Books

I think that I mentioned we are having some visitors staying with us this week. I know what you are thinking, “Who gives a shit! That’s your problem.” This is your problem too if you continue to read the blog. Regina is visiting from Victoria, or is it Victoria is visiting from Regina? It really doesn’t matter, and I am not sure she wants to be mentioned in this dodgy blog anyways. My long time buddy Bill is visiting from Edmonton, but we don’t hold that against him and you shouldn’t either.

Regina is in town to participate in the World Outrigger Races which is being held in Calgary on the reservoir this year. They could have been held in Hawaii, Australia, Fiji, California, Mexico or any number of tropical and might I add desirable locations around the world. No, this year Calgary is the host city and we aim to show the visitors a good time. When I say we, I mean other people, not me.

Bill comes to visit around this time most years and is always welcome. I’m not much of a host, so I wonder why he keeps coming back. I suspect he must think there is treasure buried on the property or bricked up in the walls. Whatever the reason, it will be fun.

I was thinking that in a way people are like books. They have a beginning and an end, there are chapters that separate the different times of their lives, they are the hero of the story (hopefully) and like all of us there are evil villains whose sole mission seems to make our lives miserable. Sometimes these villains are parents, wives, husbands, co-workers or just random strangers driving drunk.

I love starting a new book, just like I love to meet new people; you just never know where it or they will take you. A good book can open up the world for you just as a good friend can. I have been blessed with more friends than enemies in my life and I have read more good books than bad ones.

Regina’s story won’t unfurl all at once and I doubt that I will be able to read more than the dust jacket and the first few pages. So far, the story is interesting and has promise. Her stay will be short and she will be very busy while she is in Calgary so before I am able to really delve into her story, she will be gone. I am sure that this particular book will turn up again and the story will become more interesting each and every time. It is kind of like a book that you are reading and misplace only to find it and lose it over and over again. Yes, that actually has happened to me.

Bill’s story is on an entirely different level than Regina’s. I’ve known Bill for many, many years. I knew him when we were as handsome and debonair as we were ever to get in this lifetime. Bill is like a book that you read when you were new to the world, with plot lines, antagonists and heroines that are well known and loved. He is the book that you have read many times and although you know what is going to happen on the next page, you just keep turning and reading. Sometimes you wonder why you bother, but you bother because it is not only comfortable, it is also a part of who you are.

I just want to thank all of the books old and new that have made my life worth living. I do want to give fair warning however; in the future I am going digital. Next time maybe we can try an e-visit.