At least for books you have read, plan on re-reading, or just have great attachments to. But shelves are not meant for people.
It seems to me that I am some sort of magnet for this mentality from men. The ones that find me PERFECT for them, but just not right now. Something, in their life, always gets in the way and detracts from this so-called perfection. It was flattering the first few times… at this stage in my life it’s a complete joke.
The guy that proclaims you are everything he ever wanted, but… but he is not emotionally available quite yet because of his previous relationship.
The one that wants to preserve you because since you almost seem to good to be true, he needs to go out and test the waters “just to be sure.”
The pussy that’s afraid of really diving into you because it is that good… he’s used to bad & sticks this karmic badge on you. Of course, he doesn’t want you to see anyone else… he just needs you to wait.
The one that pretends by him sticking you on this shelf that it’s really a pedestal. It’s not… it’s a shelf where dust collects and life is stagnant all the while waiting for him to come pluck you out at his convenience.
I’ve been sucked into this trap more often than I care to admit, but it’s often a vortex. I had a deal about fifteen years ago with a man I adored. We said if we weren’t married by the time we hit a certain age, we would marry. We did this because he wasn’t ready to commit to me because of many of the reasons above. We were terrific together, but he literally wanted to shelve me. It wasn’t about preserving me from a looks standpoint with respect to aging… it was about him wanting to go and do and be and experience and then… have the option to come retrieve me at his convenience.
I always viewed the shelf concept, at least from a realistic standpoint (like where I do put my books) as a temporary holder for things I valued. It was great to be reminded of as I walked by. It was nice to know that something I took great pleasure in was within my reach at any given time. But what a horrible concept to do to another human being. It brings selfishness and self-righteousness into completely new territories… those that should remain undiscovered.
