What is it about the music of the Beatles, Beethoven and Bach that stops me in my tracks and anchors me to the moment, wherever I may be at the time?
Why is the night sky in the country so mesmerising? The more we stare, the more stars reveal themselves, the constellations and planets ever more insistent.
The predawn chorus of birds, the aromas of coffee and baking bread …
Laughter and cups of tea with friends and family, favourite books, familiar places …
These may be the touchstones in our lives – the constants by which all else is measured.
As touchstones, they connect, energise, refresh and centre us in an ever changing world.
An artwork or good book is more than a set of ideas, an invitation to adventure, and an escape from the present. It can dazzle, challenge and change us, educate, inform and amuse. The best characters and their predicaments are unforgettable.
No wonder best books are treasured, and readers pounce on fresh works by favourite authors.
How rich we are, that so much meaning, so many ideas and stories are there for the taking, in libraries, online and in neighbourhood book shops and street libraries!
All we need do is reach out and touch them; to connect and reconnect, and smile.
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