I’m sitting in the border village of Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales. It has over twenty bookshops, and is often described as a “town of books.” It is both the National Book Town of Wales and the site of the annual Hay Festival. The population is fewer than 2,000.

I spent much of the day wandering from shop to shop … with a break in a cafe for coffee and an ice cream covered brownie. That was my lunch, as I was still fairly full from my B&B “vegetarian full English breakfast.”

There are simply too many books in too many shops and not enough time to indulge them. Here’s a view of the bookshop brochure available in town (the other side names the shops and describes their specialties):

Too many books. And too little time. That’s been a theme in my life since I became a librarian.

And especially now when I can’t carry my books with me. And when I really know I need fewer things in my life. When the spiritual discipline of evangelical poverty makes more sense and is more attractive. When traveling lightly is a physical necessity.

What can we do without? How do we find the rich, simple joys of God’s world without having to possess them? How should we use our resources – especially money – in ways that don’t involve acquiring more stuff? Keeping stuff? Storing stuff?

I don’t have clear answers to any of this. But I think that spending this time out here is leading me in the direction of answers.

Also, walking the Offa’s Dyke Path has been good so far, reminding me often of the Appalachian Trail. But I’m thinking of getting off it before the end in order to get back on the bicycle route I had been following. That could line me up to thread the needle between Liverpool and Manchester, two large cities.

Go with God!