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| photo by Bill Timmerman |
I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. Since I could walk and talk books and libraries have been a major part of my life.
Running, on the other hand, is something new. I began running, very gradually, at 41 as a way to strengthen the muscles in my legs. As I got stronger I started down the slippery slope of a running addiction.
Running, on the other hand, is something new. I began running, very gradually, at 41 as a way to strengthen the muscles in my legs. As I got stronger I started down the slippery slope of a running addiction.
After learning to run 5 miles, in a row, I decided to challenge myself with a ‘real race’, a turkey trot at the high school - and the feeling of accomplishment was too much to ignore. Within a year I was running a marathon, slowly but surely. And now I’m psyched to race my third marathon this weekend in Buffalo.
When people ask me why I run (especially in the winter) I tell them the truth, ‘It makes me feel good’. How can something so physically grueling make you feel good? It’s the magic of the body-mind connection: what’s good for your body is good for your brain, and visa versa. During my marathons I've had huge bursts of adrenaline, elation and joy (maybe that’s the caffeine?), I’ve connected with other runners and felt so proud of myself as I ticked off the miles - there is nothing else that I do that compares with the experience. No matter how blah I feel at the end of the day a run lifts my spirits and keeps me on track to run my next race.
Most people have accepted the mind body connection as reality but, before today, I haven’t seen many organizations join together to offer one stop shopping.
Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center take the body mind connection to a whole new wonderful level. Palo Verde is another ‘landmark library’ from the Library Journal’s newly released list and I hope it is a harbinger of things to come in the library world.
When people ask me why I run (especially in the winter) I tell them the truth, ‘It makes me feel good’. How can something so physically grueling make you feel good? It’s the magic of the body-mind connection: what’s good for your body is good for your brain, and visa versa. During my marathons I've had huge bursts of adrenaline, elation and joy (maybe that’s the caffeine?), I’ve connected with other runners and felt so proud of myself as I ticked off the miles - there is nothing else that I do that compares with the experience. No matter how blah I feel at the end of the day a run lifts my spirits and keeps me on track to run my next race.
Most people have accepted the mind body connection as reality but, before today, I haven’t seen many organizations join together to offer one stop shopping.
Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center take the body mind connection to a whole new wonderful level. Palo Verde is another ‘landmark library’ from the Library Journal’s newly released list and I hope it is a harbinger of things to come in the library world.
According to the Library Journal the new library was built on a “disheveled park” next to a pool in an inner city Phoenix neighborhood. A breezeway connects the library to the Maryvale Community Center - a new facility that includes basketball courts, dance studios, a walking track, senior lounge and multipurpose rooms.
The project, designed by Gould Evans and Wendell Burnette Architects, places the twin buildings side by side with their front doors facing one another. Because the Park Departments and the library worked together they were able to share some extras that neither could afford on their own: an auditorium, staff lounge, weight room and health office.
The project, designed by Gould Evans and Wendell Burnette Architects, places the twin buildings side by side with their front doors facing one another. Because the Park Departments and the library worked together they were able to share some extras that neither could afford on their own: an auditorium, staff lounge, weight room and health office.
And a benefit of having the buildings in the same complex is that they’re both attracting new customers! The basketball players are loping in for books and magazines and the bookworms are pulling on sweats starting to move. It could be the convenience the community needs to start all sorts of new healthy habits. The town has been invested in the project from the start. The space is designed to offer families a safe space to learn and grow, to rejuvenate the neighborhood, increase quality of life and it won’t hurt property values a bit.
Palo Verde is a new library breed, all about “openness”, innovation and meeting the REAL needs of the community. It keeps the library relevant and meaningful in the lives of the next generation and, hopefully, it will get more books into more hands, even if they are sweaty.
Palo Verde is a new library breed, all about “openness”, innovation and meeting the REAL needs of the community. It keeps the library relevant and meaningful in the lives of the next generation and, hopefully, it will get more books into more hands, even if they are sweaty.
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