the book store (counting pennies...)

I am in Church Road, Wolverhampton - a street from the neighbourhood where I grew up.

I am in a second hand book store, I am delighting in touching the books, leafing through their pages, taking my time to savour and select that which will bring me the most delight.

I select 3 and take them to the counter - the shop owner is an elderly but robust woman, she has an air of one standing firm on her own, a gentle strength that weathers all storms. I ask her how she does it, how she survives in this trade where "so many other have tried and failed haven't they?"

"Yes" she replies "many have failed; just last week they were clearing out the shop of another woman right nearby here, it was only open a few months before it failed. But as they cleared out the remaining stock, guess what! They found change scattered everywhere throughout the shop! If she had only gathered all of that change together, the shop would have been able to weather the difficult times."