To Those on the 5th Floor of the LU Library Last Wednesday Afternoon
Dear Everyone: I am so sorry that our group of people talking disturbed you. Some of us didn’t know we were in a designated quiet space, and some of us knew but didn’t remember and were thoughtless. None of which matters. All of us were rude and disrespectful. I’m so sorry for that. I have no excuse. I wish I could un-do it, or make it up to you. I wish I could restore to you the hours that you had hoped would be productive. I’m sure you didn’t get everything done that you’d planned to because we were noisy. More than that, I wish I could give you back your inner peace—the positive resolve with which I imagine you approached your study session in the library. I try to picture your day up to that point. You kissed your kids and slipped out into the morning, skipping breakfast. You wanted to be early to your work shift so you could leave on time and spend your afternoon with your project. While you cleaned or filed or taught or washed dishes or researched or treated...