The library. I’m not always a person of great focus or grounding, but when it comes to my local library, I can commit. I carry the free canvas bag from this year’s summer reading program kickoff. A library swag mug hosts my coffee most mornings. I had to beat the crowds to be one of the first 100 people to sign-up and win that puppy.

I’m not joking.

I commit.

That’s why I have five legit reasons to love library fines. If you currently have a library fine and feel like yuck about it, STOP NOW. Read. My. List.

TOP 5 REASONS TO LOVE LIBRARY FINES

Reason # 1:

You went to the library.

Pat yourself on the back. Like yourself on Facebook. Give me a virtual hug and high five, because you took time to enrich your life FOR FREE with books and programs found only at the local library. You’re a smarty-pants. Admit it. And you want more out of life.

Reason #2:

You checked out a book too long. 

Did you read it twice? Never finish it? Never open it? As I write this, I have four library books in my truck, two more at home, and some in oblivion. Whatever happened to your book – you checked out a BOOK! (Or a movie you’re not afraid to tell your mom about.) You didn’t hang out on a computer all day or linger in the land of indecision. You went for gold – and you got it. Extra-long. It’s worth the couple dollars or cents to invest the time at home learning something valuable and new.

Reason #3:

You now have camaraderie. 

The first time I paid a library fine, the clerk assured me, “Don’t worry. I work here, and I still get them.” The second time I paid a library fine, a different clerk assured me, “I’m here every day, and I forget too.” Welcome to the club of imperfect, yet pretty fantastic people who use the library. My best walk-of-shame was when I returned a school library book to the public library, and they gave it back to me saying, “it happens all the time.”

Reason #4:

Your mom couldn’t give you a better fine.

If your car is parked on the wrong piece of asphalt too long, you’re going to get a decent fine. If you’re speeding or your tail-light is out, you’re going to get a hefty fine. If you overdraw your bank account five bucks, you’re going to pay back much more for your mistake. But keeping a library book too long? That’s like mom saying, “If you use bad language, you’re going to have to put a quarter in the swear jar.” Okay, mom. Fair enough.

Reason #5:

You can now invent something new. 

Because inventing is kind-of my thing – whether it’s making up a story, creating art, or constructing fun inventions that enrich kids’ imagination and learning – to have a problem like a library fine is a great opportunity to invent a solution. You can make a library book box and decoupage the outside. You can do a calendar countdown between trips. There are a lot of fun ways to keep your family library-fine free with some ingenuity.

But, at the end of the day, if you still have a library fine, don’t sweat it. Go talk to your local librarian about it, and they’ll probably cheers your coffee mug. Sure, it’s twenty-five cents in their pocket. They’ll probably use it to better the community somehow. In the meantime, remember this:

You didn’t have to put it in the swear jar.