The Borders mega-bookstore near our house is having a going-out-of-business sale.
Pre-children, my wife and I used to enjoy browsing bookstores together. So, the shuttering of the largest bookstore chain, like the death of a distant relative, mixed peripheral loss with a direct reminder of the march of time. Still, my wife and I weren't too grief-stricken to search for bargains.
The search went something like this:
Better half: "Check out these great cookbooks"
Me: "Wouldn't you rather download Foodily recipes for free on your iPad?"
Me: "Those DVDs are 40% off."
Better Half: "We've already got Netflix, and you can download them for less on iTunes."
Me: "Anything for the kids' for back-to-school?"
Better Half : "I got everything on-line for about the same."
Me: "No sales tax, either."
My wife and I took a last look around the store. What had been a place to pursue knowledge for fun and profit now struck me as so much wasted real estate. Well, hadn't my great grandfather's smithy become an auto repair shop?
The only constant in life is change. Embrace it.
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