Bookends (are a pair of supports)

Bookends are a pair of supports used to hold a row of books in an upright position by placing one at each end of the row-Collins Dictionary

My Aunt Gloria was telling me about her bookends, and I was really able to relate to her experience with them.

It is quite helpful how straight they stand, never failing to hold things together, or at the very least, they help sort out and make order of various topics stored on each shelf.

We chatted on about how the sequence of events in life often transpire in a challenging and unnerving way. During those times we are able to find, in between the bookends, words, either spoken out loud or understood from silence. They do shed some light and remarkably guide us on how to reverse obstacles that sometimes tag along to our days.

The common bond my aunt and I discovered about our bookends is the comfort we find in just knowing that they are near, without physically viewing them. We both feel very lucky about that. Ironic, and a sometimes frustrating fact, is that bookends take time to completely comprehend the depth of the impact that their presence possess. We both have confidence that in time that significance will be revealed, like everything else on the shelf.

Often enough problems present themselves, in between the various items, this caused by the abundance of topics on each shelf. This is a type of message, reminding us the necessity to have several shelves in our life. Not every one of those books belong on the same shelf. It is important to prioritize all those that we have collected and kept in our life. If an unexpected sound arises, we may hear a sort of crash, it is from the weight that has taken over our shelves, it is a reminder that a bit of order needs to happen. Some items have more relevance than others to our daily life. After cleaning out the clutter, things always find their appropriate place, with the bookends remaining within reach, offering invaluable support. They are not even aware how much they contribute to our shelves. There they exist, always waiting in the wings, it seems, but as a permanent fixture. Most significant, is their profound reaction if an item on the shelf is, obviously in their opinion, out of place. That seems to be the way they communicate, very direct, sometimes more gentle than other times, which is a very kind quality to offer us.

The honesty that is generated during the process to maintaining a balance on our shelves is crucial. If there is a tilt of something, it can be startling at first. However, if we catch it in time, and either straighten or eliminate it, we avoid a messy situation. There is no sense in putting off the task of facing reality, we must not pile one thing on top of another. Nipping a potential crisis in the bud can be life changing. Relief sets in and we carry on with confidence that balance was achieved. There is always room for growth and change on our shelves if our bookends maintain their loyal support.

One thing we hope for is that our bookends are enjoying being such an intricate part of all the tales on the shelves. From the moment they appeared in our lives we both agreed that we certainly did enjoy. The feelings are extremely strong. Whether the stories involved too much drama, or complication, there was an infinite amount of loyalty involved. Our effort to stand tall and show support for them could never end either. By now they, no doubt, are well aware of this fact of life.

My Aunt Gloria and I hung up the phone at the end of our conversation, and I suspect we each could sense the smile on our faces. I had never thought about them this way, but after our conversation I found the metaphor to be right on target.

This lovely conversation was, without a doubt, and thankfully because of the presence of our bookends.

I dedicate this essay to my daughters, Dani and Jilli and to my Aunt Gloria too! We’re all about
L O V E:)

— Published on August 27, 2018

-Allyson Altit

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The above was published on August, 2018, in Arianna Huffington’s thriveglobal.com.