After 20 years of living and reading together, we have gathered what some might call a large library. One problem: We don't1have a library to put the books in. It was time to take 2.
I started in the office, where the literary remains of five university degrees3dust. Why did we4have textbooks from 25 years ago? I worked my way through the shelves 5and slipped them into the donation box. Next came Second- Hand Dog, 6when we adopted our first shelter clog nineteen years ago. I couldn't 7flipping (快速翻动) through the pages, remembering the 8learned and later 9 to all the dogs followed.
And so it went on and on. Trying to choose what I could stand to10with, I realized the full shelves held much 11 a collection of books. They told a story, our story. Flipping through these 12 pages, a historian could conclude a pretty accurate 13of our life over the past twenty years. The stained pages of our recipe books14 our favourite meals. That guide to childhood illnesses got us across many sleepless nights. How could I give them away?
At the end of the day, I drove to the 15center with just a few boxes. Our16are still fully filled.
They're not growing as quickly as they used to, since we're joined the17crowd. I imagine how easy it will be to18the electronic bookshelves of the future. Scan through19of text. Delete, delete, in the blink(眨眼)of an eye.
This might sound efficient(有效的)to some, but it makes me feel20 .