Last week I visited the town of Denton, Texas. This big to me, small to others, college town is home to Recycled Books & Records. Located in the old Opera House, this labyrinth of a bookstore is overflowing with books at every turn. Each time you think you've come to the end, you come across, yet another nook and cranny crammed with delectable reads.
From Mystery, History, and Horror, Contemporary, Fantasy, and Punk, or magazines and comics galore, this bookstore has it all. Game collector? Recycled Books has you covered. Like classic VHS? Yeah, they've got that too. Records are in the title, CDs, and music. If you're looking for a new T-shirt, or collectible toy, visit Recycled Books and you'll jump for joy! Yeah, yeah, I know. This wasn't supposed to be a poem, but I couldn't help it. When life gives you the chance to rhyme, why not take it?
But in all seriousness. This is one of the coolest bookshops I've ever come across. I had such a great time that I went back twice more before my vacation was over. Oh, and did I mention I sold them three of my books? No? Well, I did.
That is really what this whole little write up was supposed to be about, but I got sidetracked in the glory of all things that are Recycled Books & Records. This was the first time that I've sold any of my books to a brick-and-mortar bookstore. Let me tell you, it was a rush. I came out of that store feeling like I was on cloud nine. Grinning from ear to ear, and a little skip in my step. I'd never known such happiness, other than when my son was born of course.
But this was a different sort of happiness. This was the sort of happiness that one can only get from achieving a life-long goal. A goal that you've dreamed of since you were young. To some of you, this may seem very trivial, a small victory indeed. But to me, it was a big win. Because in my mind, I never really thought this day would come. Even though I love to write, and I hope to be great one day, I never really thought I'd see one of my books on a shelf.
I think this is the sort of thing that keeps us creatives going. These small wins that tell us, "Hey, you're doing Okay. You've got this." Telling us that all of our hard work and patience is paying off. To keep moving, keep writing, or painting, or drawing. Keep creating whatever it is that you do.
I hope that this will inspire you too. To keep doing the thing that you love, no matter what it is. No matter how many times you think that you suck or that you should just give up. Keep at it instead. Because one day, you'll get that small win, then another, and another, and they all add up. Then those small wins lead to bigger wins. Eventually, you are right where you want to be.
xoxoxo
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