Have you ever accidentally used your town’s website to search for a book instead of your local library website?

Funny, I just went to do a search for a book in my local library. But instead of pulling up the library’s website, I accidentally just googled the name of my town, “Glen Ellyn” and pulled up the village’s website. My first thought was, “huh, they did a site redesign.” Without even thinking, I used the search on the village’s site to look for the book.

Certainly others have done a silly, incomplete search like this.

Why would I do this?

A few years ago, my wife, daughter, and I moved to a western suburb in Chicago, Glen Ellyn. I’m not a big fan of suburbs, so it continues to be a matter of adjustment for me. But one of the great highlights of where we live is the library. In fact, we live just a few blocks from the library. Every day while walking to the train, I walk by the library. In the mornings I peer through the windows at all the books. On my way home, I walk by the library and often stop by to pick up a book. Sometimes for me to read. Sometimes for my three-year-old daughter. I’ve made a goal of always having at least one book borrowed from the library.

In my mind, Glen Ellyn is the library. Thus, when I went to do a search, I simply searched Glen Ellyn. I didn’t even type the word “library” in the search. And that mere act, I find very amusing.

The search results for the book were even more amusing.

The book I was looking up is: “A beginner’s guide to the end: practical advice for living life and facing death”, per the recommendation of Jonathan Hein’s tweet.

What happened when I searched for this book on the village website (not the library website)? A really funny result!

The first result is the Village’s garbage and recycling program! Oh my! I mean, that’s kinda fitting right? Garbage—end of life. Which reminds me of these verses from the Bible.

All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

Ecclesiastes 3:20

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:19

Face your death! We are all dust.

Anyhow, I searched the Glen Ellyn Public Library, and they indeed have this book! Maybe I’m weird, but I love reading about our mortality. All the potential we have with the years we live here.