December is a magical month. I feel how I’m slowing down. How I’m pondering the year that I had and the year that’s ahead. Today I bought a new notebook. I am ready to anchor words on its pristine pages to set all my dreams to sail.
2022 has been full of surprises: good ones and bad ones. Devastating ones as the war in Ukraine that ‘suddenly’ started on February 24. I don’t remember being that scared in my entire life. There were sad surprises as a cold shower of reality check that my Sea Library ship was sinking in this changing world this spring without any financial support. I somehow managed to sustain it for four years (and another four before the library when I started to gather the books about the sea). But now all my savings were gone. I am not used to asking for help, but I closed my eyes and created a Patron page in May. For half a year seven kind souls sponsored my postal expenses. I was able to send around 10 books each month to readers who live far. I was also starting to look for a job in May and found one. That’s the best surprise this year. I wrote about it here. It’s an absolute dream. To sustain the Sea Library and help my family to get through this dark and challenging year by working at the National Library of Latvia (mostly from Jūrmala!) – can there be anything better than that? I closed my Patreon page yesterday. I can’t ask for more. I am back on my feet. It will be alright.
(And I will contact my patrons this month about a symbolic gift I want to give.)
Apart from this practical stuff, I am working on my own big things as well. Things I can’t tell you anything about yet, but they make me grateful and proud. How far have I come with these tiny steps. And how much I am able to learn.
Around Christmas, I will give you a gift: some new wonderful materials on beachbooks.blog, crowded with inspiring spirits and overflowing with the sea.
Happy Advent, dear readers, some of whom have been with me and the library from day one.
Yours,
Anna
Sea Library 