I’m lovin’ the library

A couple months ago one of our dinner guests recommended a book he had read a few years ago: “American Caesar,” the biography of General Douglas McArthur by William Manchester. I tucked it away in my mind for a “rainy day” as they say.

Well, we’ve certainly had our share of rainy days lately so a couple weeks ago I decided to act on Charlie’s recommendation and went to the library for the book. I was a in a hurry for some reason or another and because of that I asked the librarian for assistance in finding the book; bingo she went right to it and I was out of the library and on my way within minutes.

Now here’s a true confession that I’m so embarrassed to make but I will anyway: I cannot remember reading any unassigned book all through high school and even through college for that matter. There must have been some, but I sure don’t remember them. Lots of engineering books though! Well, now that I’ve got that off my conscience I feel better.

But now things are different. Being retired without the pressures of corporate life, the time consuming chores of raising a family, and without a cable TV subscription, it’s the perfect time to indulge in reading for pleasure. And the library is the perfect place to make it happen……and for FREE. Can you imagine that in this day and age? What could be better for a senior’s budget?

Why McArthur?

•Having been born in 1943 I was too young for WW II and Korea

•Deferred from Vietnam while working for a defense contractor

•Woefully ignorant of the price we paid in the Philippines for our freedom there

•Intrigued by stories of the colorful but controversial General.

And now that I’m a third of the way through the book (It’s a slow, engaging read of 700+pages), he sure was colorful and controversial. One of the things I never knew about was how close he was to his mother throughout his entire career; he moved her to the Philippines with him. And what an incredible role she played in his career: she even moved to West Point when he was a student there and later when he was the superintendent in charge of the academy!

There is so much to learn, especially by reading biographies of great men and women. One of the common threads about great leaders seems to be their idiosyncratic habits; my thoughts go to Churchill here, another of William Manchester’s biographies (“The Last Lion”).

So I’m wondering, are there any other late blooming readers out there who are just waiting to discover the joys of reading in these sunset years? I sure hope so. Why not get yourself a library card and check out some great books before these wintry, rainy days are over? I’m sure you’ll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors….see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA/