It was the first class assignment: cover the book to keep it in good condition. I used paper grocery bags. It was easy to read whatever I wrote on them, and I could add stickers or pictures to dress them up.

By the end of January, most of my covers were worn, torn, and re-taped. Some were close to falling off or falling apart; they no longer protected the books. So I recovered them with grocery bags, tape, and new stickers and pictures. At the end of the year, the books entrusted to me were in good shape, ready for the next person to use and protect.

Other than cookbooks, I never covered books after high school. Other than library books, which I took good care of (and still do), what I read I owned. Since I wasn’t handing them in or handing them down, there was no pressure to preserve them for other hands and other eyes. I kept and continue to keep my personal library in good shape, but I’m willing to put my own books at risk (take to the beach, on a trip, read while drinking hot cocoa) than ones on loan.

I think damage is done when I mistake what is on loan to me for something I own, when I don’t think beyond my own life to what comes after. And I don’t own most things – air, soil, plants, animals. I need to put some effort into handing these things on in good condition. And I need to remember that doing so will not be a one-and-done activity.