The finishing touches

I've always had a fondness for books. As a child, I loved going to the little corner library in our town and picking out new books to take home. The scholastic fair was the best day of the year in primary school. As a teenager, I often hid away in the library at school between classes and during lunch, preferring the quiet solitude of the shelves over the boisterous school grounds. I would perch myself like a cat on the mezzanine level and read quietly, occasionally surveying the goings-on below.

My love of reading most likely stemmed from my mother, who always had a book in hand. One day, while searching for something new to read, I started rifling through my mum's bookshelf and stumbled upon a book that instantly caught my eye - a weighty, hardcover volume with a minky colored dust jacket. The title read "Finishing Touches: A Guide to Being Poised, Polished, and Beautifully Prepared for Life." Instantly I was smitten. I studied the pages day after day, hoping to absorb some of the information. Despite being too young to fully understand all of the lessons, I was fascinated by this book and carried it around with me like my own personal manual, a guide to a seemingly lost way of being. The contents brought me back to all those old films I had seen, ones where young shopgirls are sent off to study etiquette and elocution, and return home confident, poised and glamorous. I always imagined attending such a school would be wonderful.

Today this beloved book is part of my own vintage living library, covering many topics from beauty rituals to how to wax and polish furniture. My books are a constant source of inspiration for me, dear old friends that are always there, waiting for me to stop by for another visit. Whenever life starts to feel a little dull, I refer back to my shelves of inspiration. They help propel me forward and motivate me to dream about the life I want to live and the person I want to be.

— TYG