Wednesday, June 1, 2016

                  Daring Greatly in June

Theodore Roosevelt: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.

Brene Brown: "If you aren't in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I'm not interested in your feedback." Brown is the author of Daring Greatly and Rising Strong


June gives us the gift of a new attitude. We're ready to swap wool coats for a colorful new uniform - shorts, bandannas, t-shirts, and flip flops. Put the makeup away but remember sun screen! It's time to pack a bag for the beach or park - books, magazines, sunglasses, iced tea and maybe a sandwich or two. Laugh. Splash. Enjoy. Feel your heart beat a little faster with the first sighting of fireflies. Summer officially arrives on June 20 but the flowers are already planted, ceiling fans are lazily spinning on porches, and public pools are open.

My library is encouraging its patrons to be daring this summer. Will I discover a new writer or different genre? Sample unfamiliar food? Write a song? I'm looking forward to being double dog dared to celebrate and explore my library and community. Dare yourself to a new adventure. Take a class. Hike. Update your resume. Explore a different state, culture or country. Join an exercise group. Just get out of your comfort zone...a little bit or a lot. 

It's perfect that June is National Audio Book Appreciation Month. If you're planning a road trip, pack along your favorite author on CD. It's also Great Outdoors Month, so get outdoors and breathe the fresh air. If you're fortunate enough to live near an ocean, breathe in that salty air and celebrate National Oceans Month. Can you name all the Earth's oceans?* Toast the arrival of summer with a pitcher of mango tea in honor of National Iced Tea Month. 

And get ready to enjoy new books by Anne Tyler, Karen Cushman, Stuart Woods, Stephen King, Emily Griffin, Elin Hilderbrand, Brad Meltzer, Janet Evanovich, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lisa Unger, Laurence Leamer, Stephen Coonts, Annie Proulx, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Chuck Palahniuk, Carla Neggers, James Patterson, Lionel Shriver.


                                      June Days

1      - Dare Day
          Go Barefoot Day

4      - Birth of Val McDermid (1955), The Retribution 

5-11 - National Business Etiquette Week

10     - Ball Point Pen Day

16     - Bloomsday. Celebrate all things James Joyce -  Ulysses, Dubliners

17     - Eat Your Vegetables Day

18     - Birth of Amy Bloom (1953), Lucky Us

20     - First Day of Summer

21     - Birth of Ian McEwan (1948), The Children Act

24     - Celebration of the Senses Day...tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing, touching

28     - National Columnists' Day

29     - Camera Day

30     - National Bomb Pop Day


*** There are five oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic...the United States now recognizes the Southern Ocean (Antarctica), according to NOAA.

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