Stars' Landing

So library bingo involves a few different types of squares, including kinds of books to read (a book with pictures, a book with an animal on the cover), ways to read a book (under a blanket, while drinking a hot beverage), and library services to enjoy.

One of the library services is a "library of things," which seems to be an increasingly popular concept I just learned about, wherein the library has a catalogue of items that may be too expensive to buy on a whim, too seldom used for individuals to justify the storage, or just more sustainably shared by a community rather than everyone having their own.

Our library has, among other things, a telescope, so for the "check out something from the library of things" square, I checked it out.

Since the point of my post is how much this experience reminded me of renting a kayak for the first time, I should explain that I have never used a telescope before and did no research ahead of time. This is not a question I was asked during the check out process, nor were any lectures involved, even on important subjects like "which end to aim at the sky" or "how to carry this expensive instrument so you don't break it."

The telescope comes with a very brief instruction manual, which includes a diagram labeling many parts of the telescope, and then refers to them by different names when telling you what to do with them. (Luckily in the diagram one end of the telescope is higher than the other, so I correctly guessed that this is the end that points at the sky.) The manual also includes pointers on how to transport the telescope in your car, including how to arrange the seatbelt, but not how to carry it to and from the car.

After reading the manual several times and carefully experimenting, I successfully viewed the moon. Then I replaced the batteries in the star-finder thingy. Makes finding stuff a lot easier, it turns out, so next I am hoping to view Jupiter. If I spot anything else in the slice of sky visible through our back window I will happily record it.

Also, did I mention that the first time I rented a kayak I was surprised that no one asked, "Do you know how to kayak?" They just said, "Paddles and PFDs are over there, take whatever you like." Then they looked at my small stature and added, "Do you want some help getting it down?"

Yes, I said confidently, that would be great. Someone helped me carry a kayak all the way to the water, then fortunately walked off before they could see me figuring out which end was the front, and how to get both me and the paddle into the kayak at the same time.

So what I get out of this is twofold, after the great experiences and fun stories. One, have confidence. Other people don't go around randomly doubting you for no reason. You said you were gonna do the thing; you must know how to do it, and other people either believe you or don't care or both. Two, have confidence! It turns out most things aren't that hard as long as you're not worried about looking smart or capable.

And when they are hard, we have the internet. Thank goodness.