De Krook is the modern central library in Ghent.  It opened in 2017 and is now considered to be “the place of inspiration for knowledge, culture and innovation”.  And here I am.

I have a problem.  It’s called the ego.  I’ve written for 63 days in a row on WordPress and Facebook.  I feel the drive for 64!

I was walking in Ghent this morning and came upon the immense architecture of De Krook.  So began a spell of wrong thinking.  “This would be a good subject for today’s writing.”  I could feel the forcing even as I thought the words.  The truth was that I wasn’t drawn to write about the library.  My rule has been “So don’t do it!”  But there was the power of 64 pulsing in my mind.

Sitting in De Krook’s coffee shop with my latté, I decided not to write about this spot.  If nothing magnetized me for the rest of the day, my streak would end.  Take that, dear ego!

After the sipping had ceased, I reasoned that since I’m here, I might as well tour the seven floors. One floor down from main was devoted to “Kinderen” so I started walking down to see what welcomes the kids.

As I descended, there were levels of cushions to my right. For the children to sit and think and read. Very cool.

Then, in the spirit of very important young people, this magnificent object presented itself to me:

A chair for royalty … young royalty. I could have sat down but the chair wasn’t meant for me. I thought of all the children since 2017 who have rubbed the leather arms. Good for them.

More exploring led to a wall with large openings full of soft curving comfiness, perfect for leisurely reading. In one large hole dad and daughter were cuddled with a book. So sweet.

Many steps later I got that De Krook was my subject of the day … the kids’ section. Adults (and hopefully children) had given their input about what they wanted in a library and … Voilà! It came to pass.

So I took the photos that accompany my story. Here’s the last one:

What happens on this floor makes me happy

And I like being happy