Forget Spring Cleaning, it's time for Spring Reading

My Cheesy Readers know I've been discussing rereads lately, and many might remember that I try to reread Watership Down or its sequel every other year. But recently due to some posts on GoodReads, I realized there is another spring classic I need to reread. I haven't read it in nearly (cough) years, so I figure it's about time.

I'm speaking, of course, of the childhood classic "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. It has all our old friends  - Mole, and Rat, and Mr. Badger, and the unforgettable... Mr. Toad. This English tale, which has never gone of out print, has sparked the imagination of millions of children, a United States president (Teddy Roosevelt), and even the rock band Pink Floyd, who named their first album after Chapter Seven - "Piper at the Gates of Dawn."

The story is that Grahame wrote this book from stories he told his grandson, and he fell in love with these characters and their adventures as much as the world did. In fact, on the page prior to the first chapter, Grahame leaves us all a little message: "I love these little people, be kind to them."

These stories and these little people whisk us readers back to a time when we found magic in our imagination, surrounded ourselves with it, and pretended these characters were as real as the people around us. We found refuge in their simple friendships and all wished we were a part of their little group. As an adult now, it's time to revisit that world, recapture those moments, and remember we can make the world a better place by being kind to those around us.

Until Next Time...
Wayfarerly Yours,
Michael