My calling isn’t something requiring a degree – a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, or a PhD – it isn’t a higher education kind of thing at all. No uniform is called for. I perform my duties unarmed. No bullet-proof vest, mace, or hand-cuffs. Nope. I can do it fully naked if I so choose. But that might scare the dog, so I sleuth clothed. My calling is more a seat-of-my pants freelance craft that’s developed organically. And, as we all know, organic is a good thing!
You see, my occasional avocation brings me into peoples’ homes to pet-sit their cats and dogs. Sometimes fish and birds. No reptiles so far. And my clients trust me not to go snooping through their personal effects, which I don’t do and have little curiosity about, but I have no qualms in investigating their libraries and bookcases. Only those shelves that are open and in plain view – I wouldn’t browse through any books not in plain sight or hidden away. No going through closets or drawers. I treat clients’ homes and privacy as I would want mine treated. We Book Dicks have our standards – and they are high.
While it’s been said that the eyes are the windows of the soul, I think books are the true window into our psyches, our personality, and what make us tick and our hearts beat faster. Hearts, minds, and passions are found right there on our book shelves.
I thrill in getting to know my clients through their books. Their subjects and titles are a Rorschach, litmus look into who they are. And it’s my sheer unadulterated pleasure to delve into their books – especially when their interests diverge from mine. Fresh material makes me happy.
If you’re a current or a prospective client, please know you needn’t hide your books from my curious eyes and quest. I travel through your shelves and pages without judgment or critique, armed only with an over-weening thirst to glean new knowledge. I’ve read musical odes and poems, made the acquaintance of famous and not-so-famous people, journeyed to exotic lands, read about prepping to survive, studied comparative religion, digested political viewpoints opposite of mine, looked up symptoms and cures in medical guides, and just recently, I gulped down a book all about juicing. Your books are improving my health and my mind – and I thank you.
Then too, there are the moments of discovery, the special times when I re-discover a long-forgotten favorite book from days past. These old pals are thrilling to find – I curl up with them and get re-acquainted. Oh! Black Beauty, Old Yellar, and The Yearling still bring me to tears, sixty years later. Good books stand the test of time. I treasure them. And how sweet of you to have them in your collection!
Facts so intrigue me – sociology, trends, psychology, aging, the scared feminine, nature, animal and human behavior and communication, spirituality, self-improvement and such float my literary boat. How do we live our lives? How do I better understand myself — and others? The great mystery of human behavior. How might we get from violence to peace? Why do we do the things we do?
But sometimes my brain becomes all a-whirl, filled with too many facts and the data starts spinning off into nothingness and I must turn to fiction – which often, too, unravels mysteries of human behavior. Might I suggest To Kill a Mockingbird or Cold Mountain to illustrate this?
So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Rest easy, knowing The Book Dick is on the job, discovering clues and mysteries, sniffing along the trail of of discovery. And often, there’s a dog by my feet or in my lap, or a warm kitty purring under my hand as I turn another page. Being a pet-sitting Book Dick is enlightening, rewarding and joyful; the perfect trio. Thank you all for your pets and books. Your beloved dog gets a Milkbone and I get to munch on a new title. His tail wags — my mind does, too. Delicious.