As the world has turned a little crazy, I took a little time to focus on my family. And we’ve experienced a lot within these last couple weeks. We moved out of our apartment as the lease was up, moved into a single room at my moms, my husband is still working out of town Monday-Friday while looking to make a move out of state for us, and my kids fell sick at the worst possible time (no they don’t have COVID-19). But through it all I was able to turn to one of my favorite things in life - my good ol’ friend books.
I love that there will never be an end to my ever-growing list of to reads. Because there’s more in existence than I’ll ever even be able to get my hands onto. I love that there are new books being made each and every day, writers composing new and exciting content. I love that there are books that have stood the test of time to tell us history and stories of days long before, while also holding history of their own. I love the weight of the words, the crispness of the pages, and the smell as you flip through every single page.
I love the look of books. I love that they challenge my senses as my eyes roll over the pages as they move over each word. I love that those very words spark a spectrum of feelings and experiences that transport me beyond my reality. Creating a life I’ll never be able to actually partake in. And I love the characters that live within them - that is, the people the author brings to life. Each with a new background, new story, and new fire to light inside of me.
I know, to some I sound completely insane. I mean I basically just composed a love letter to books after I already have to coffee. But that’s how important books have become in my life over the years. I believe, just like film, music, and all other art forms, books have the ability to tell stories beyond the words and let us experience life in ways unimaginable. They help us to not only get to know ourselves better, but also others.
And for some reason, I feel like they always get a bad rep. Sure, sometimes reading them seems like work - I mean don’t we have enough of that? But in my opinion, I think it’s more about for so long, reading was forced. Growing up, we were pushed to read stories about things we didn’t really care too much about at times that we didn’t care about anything but playing, flirting, or where to eat or campus for lunch. I find it so sad how often misconstrued it is. And I wish more people would find the beauty in it.
I wish that more people would open up a book. Who knows? They may like it more than they actually realize. I hope that they feel the life, anticipation, and adventure floating at their finger tips. I hope they get all the aforementioned and improve their literacy skills within the process. Because the more a person reads, the faster they’ll be able to do the job, the more vocabulary they’ll add to their list, the better they’ll be able to find gems within the words, and the more inclined they’ll be able to put their own gem of words out into the word.
That is why I surround myself with words. That is why I surround myself with stories in a way that help my brain to evolve and grow. That is why I wake up at 4 am every single day to give myself time with a book. Because it keeps me inspired, open-minded, smart, sharp, emotional, engaged, understood, informed, connected, comforted, and so much more.
Comments