Just Another Day at the School Library

I volunteered in the school library last week. The task? Remove books that were irreparable from the shelves so the media specialist could replace them for the following school year. Now, there are a lot of books, so I was skimming through, looking for beat-up bindings, old-looking covers - some even looked like the old excuse "my dog ate it." Then I'd inspect them to see if pages were falling out, torn, etc.
While perusing, I saw familiar titles and some popular authors I've heard my son talk about, and I pulled a few from the shelves (I'm trying to take an interest in his love of fantasy and science fiction works - emphasis on "trying"). On the shelf, they had shiny, clear plastic-covered jackets - looked brand-spanking new. Upon further inspection? Binding falling apart, pages separating. It hadn't even crossed my mind to inspect what appeared to be perfectly intact books. I believe you call that "judging a book by its cover." And while I think kids tend to do the same, obviously they've gotten to know these now worn-out books well and they're still loving them just as they are.
Hmm, I think of how many years of my life I've spent putting on this facade as I was cracking and alone on the inside. In the last few years I've let some people "read my story," and man, how rewarding it has been to let people see my beat-up binding and torn pages! What a blessing it's been to replace my book (not forget it) with an authentic story rich with diverse and interesting characters who live lives in the trenches and aren't afraid to share it.