In the middle of rerecording her past catalogs, the announcement of the album Midnight by Taylor Swift came out as a surprise to all of us. Like a switch unbeknownst to us in the dark room, the news brought us light in what turned out to be a deserted space. I'd say it was a wonderful surprise.
Just like how the announcement brought colors to what seemed like an enclosed life we're living in, I went home to find a mega change in my room two months ago. My dad had secretly been buying wooden boards to build a shelf for my books. Just when I was about to give up on physical books and probably reading regularly in general, he and my mom temporarily moved my stuff out to make room for the planned, and so a patched wall and this one-story shelf were my views on the first weekend:
It was still far from perfect, but I loved the framework, and the gesture touched me.
On October 8th, my dad finished adding more stories to the shelf and also painted them. The celebration of the nearly-done shelf was followed by days of decluttering and organizing my books based on color. It was obviously a tough job—shout out to my mom who did most of it all by herself.
Now, I love how the sunlight peeks through the thin bedroom curtain and shines on the wooden table. I love the feeling of being surrounded by books while sitting in a comfortable chair and listening to my favorite songs. It makes this specific corner of my room all the more ethereal, all the more pleasant, and all the more... home.
