As my feet touched the ground, I felt like a Martian. Granted, the 12 hour plane flight had left my legs feeling cramped and weak, but as I stood on Pennsylvanian soil for the first time in my life, I felt more alien than ever. Even as my 5th grade self adjusted to a new school, the feeling of estrangement stuck like peanut butter coated onto the roof of my mouth. The only constant that grounded me despite my flailing around in zero gravity space (I know, overactive imagination!)  was my community’s local library. Although it wasn’t an exact replica of the one back in Hawaii where I used to spend almost all of my waking hours in, it possessed that same, intangible warmth that translated into the soft, worn pages of books lining dusty bookshelves and wooden chairs crafted by a local artisan that seemingly hugged the right curves of your body. It was here where I felt most safe and could always count on the plotlines of fictitious books to shield me from the troubling anxieties of the real world. So when I heard that my local library was in need of assistance, I didn’t think twice about helping.

     Having just joined Girl Scouts, I convinced my Girl Scout troop to help me revamp the library’s backyard. After hours of grueling work – this involved creating stepping stones to line the pathway, planting lots of indigenous plants, and installing benches and murals – the backyard was transformed into a magical children’s garden. As an avid reader, I enjoyed working on the project and was glad to help out my local library while simultaneously earning my GS Bronze Award. Nowadays, every time I check out a book from the library I make sure to visit the garden, and whenever I hopscotch across the weathered stepping stones or simply sit on a bench soaking in the picturesque scenery, I’m reminded of my younger self and how anyone, anywhere, can truly make a difference for the better.