Trying on lives

I lead a small life, in a small town. I grew up in the lovely city of Seattle surrounded on the outskirts by large roaming forests, with trees so tall and so old that you feel if you lean in close and listen with your heart, they will whisper the secrets of life to you.
In this new town I live in, the trees were largely planted by housing developers in the 1980's, and seem like petulant teenagers with no secrets to tell, but my books made of old trees whisper their stories to me.
Where would I like to go today, if I could travel anywhere? Italy would be my first answer, and Frances Mayes' books on Italy call to me.
Who would I invite over for coffee and a long rambling conversation? The answer lies in the biography of George Washington, as written by Irving, as I have many questions on where he intended his fledgling country to go.
So you see, in my small town where I live my small life, I can dream sweeping epic sized dreams, of poets and politics, of travels and study, and of what my own dreams are as they ebb and flow like the tides, ever changing.
I often have thought that you can tell the most about a person based on what books they read, and on what shoes they wear. My bookcase on display has most of my small antique prized collection, whereas my bookcase in my bedroom holds primarily schoolbooks and trade paperbacks. Decide what you will based on my books.
My shoes shall remain a mystery.........