Rachel's Ramblings

Reading

I once read this book, and it opened like this:

"You know the feeling? The feeling of falling in love? Of reading the first few words of a book? Of diving into a whole new world, time, dimension? Magic lives in the pages of a first chapter! In a first chapter you get to discover characters that will become your best friends. You get to discover a world you will inhabit as you read. First chapters hold all the potential of another life that you can explore. They hold a mystery you want to solve, so you keep reading."

I cried. I read that and cried, because never have I been able to express exactly what I felt when reading. Could never find the words to express just how much I love reading. Yet, that author expressed in 89 words perfectly.

The act of reading is a very simple act. Yet, some people like or even love it and others hate it. I'll be honest I used to hate it. I loved it when my parents used to read to me, but I hated reading myself. Not because it took effort, but rather because it never made sense to me, the words were simply words on a page that didn't create a story. Yet, if one of my parents read the same book suddenly it made sense, it became a story. Then one day, I tried to read this one book, and BAM! I now love reading, I struggle to put a book down, I get annoyed when my parents interrupt me.

There are different types of reading. There is leisure / pleasure reading, this is my kind of reading, where you read for enjoyment. Then there is research / study, anyone who went to school knows very well what that entails, however this could be research for your business or project or writing piece etc. Then there's everything else that doesnt fall under the above topics. All reading has the potential to be enjoyable, once you find out what you enjoy it becomes a part of you.

So, let me now dive into my reading habits and love for it. Gosh where do I start I have lost track on how many books I have read, that being said; the amount doesn't matter. What matters is the emotions. I've read books that once they are complete, I can't speak, I can't seem to comprehend or believe that it's over and normally I have tears in my eyes – mainly because the book is finished. Those are my favourite books. Those are the books I will re-read a thousand times and still react the same way every time.

Just thinking about reading makes me smile and super happy. I think I've learnt more from reading than school or my parents could ever teach me about life. There are things that – sorry parents – our moms and dads or family members do not know, maybe some do but don't want to speak about them. Either way sometimes it's better to learn about something in a book than by being told in a serious conversation with adults. I mean who enjoys those? Not me thats for sure.

For me reading is a way to escape reality. If I am in pain, I put headphones in and listen to music while I read. The same goes for when I'm frustrated and need to calm down before I react in an uncalled-for way. I don't like being in crowds – even when it's family – for long periods of times. So, my solution is to disappear and read, if I can't disappear then I'll just read where I am not caring if I'm being rude. I'd rather be rude than uncomfortable in a situation, plus if it's the people cared about me then they shouldn't mind.

Now that you can see a glimpse on why I love reading, let me just in form you I don't always enjoy reading. I don't read random articles for pleasure, I enjoy books. Yes, sometimes I will look up on something because it interests me, but that doesn't happen often.

Reading is very much a part of me as every cell in my body is. I have told every person who has told me they don't like reading, that they just haven't found the right book yet. Reading may not be for everyone, but you should never hate it. I should know.