1. It has given me a creative and more thoughtful personality.
When I was a little girl, I used to sit in front of my bookshelf for hours and pull out book after book, completely fascinated with every one I read. The amount of time passing was never in my mind, I was always transported into those stories like I had been swept up in a time machine and there was no way of getting me out. I believe that because I started reading at such a young age, those words, stories, and ideas all stuck with me, and made me into the person that I am today. I am able to think creatively, and I always search for the bigger meaning when it comes to any book I'm reading, movie I'm watching, and anything that happens in everyday life. When I start to wonder why my mind is the way it is, I thank the hours I spent encompassed in my little library as a kid, immersed into my own little world.
2. It has given me an extraordinary use of vocabulary and grammar.
My creative writing professor said to us very recently, "If you've had your nose stuck in a book ever since you were a kid, chances are you don't need help with grammar." I've found this to be strikingly true. While growing up, I never understood the big struggle on spelling tests and grammar activities almost everyone seemed to be having. It had just always been something I understood, almost like it was programmed into my brain and I didn't need a refreshment course. I am certainly not saying this to brag and say that I am so excellent and everyone should be like me, not in the slightest. I just believe that when you're exposed to new words and different ways of using them almost every day outside of school, it has a positive effect on your learning skills. I believe I have Literature and my unwavering love for it growing up to thank.
3. It has made me believe in true love.
Whether it was prince Phillip fighting against Maleficent's curse to save princess Aurora, Romeo's sacrificial and tragic love for Juliet, or Mr. Darcy's failure to resist proclaiming his love for Elizabeth in the pouring rain, at some point, I looked at the fairy tale that was love and told myself it was real. Obviously I had my doubts. I mean, what kind of man would give up everything for the woman he loves, respect and stay loyal to her always, fight for her, and love her until the end of time, like the stories show us? I don't know, because I haven't met him yet. But I will continue to believe that he's out there. True love has to be real or people wouldn't still be writing all about it and how wonderful it is since Shakespeare's time, am I right?
4. It has become my safe place/ my means of coping.
I have always struggled with anxiety and depression, but only recently has it really affected my life in such a negative way that I couldn't ignore it any longer. When I was in the hospital receiving treatment for my mental illness, I didn't have my phone to access the outside world and see what was going on with everyone else around me. Even though I was bothered by this at the time, I am thankful for this rule. I didn't have my phone, but I had books. I had books to open and get lost in whenever I was overwhelmed, scared, angry, or sad. These books became my outlet when nothing else was available. I was able to go to other worlds and read about other people's lives when I didn't care about my own anymore. I always open a book every time I can't seem to find a way to cope. I do this because I love the feeling I get when I become so immersed into a book, the whole rest of the world becomes white noise. This feeling-- I believe, overcomes any other.
5. It has reminded me that I am never alone.
No matter what I'm feeling at a certain time of my life, I can always open up a book and read about a character who feels the exact same things I am feeling. Even if I can't relate to some characters in such a way, they are always there, like friends through a page. Maybe that sounds pathetic to some people to have fictional characters as friends, but not for me. The people I've read about over the years have been kind, funny, heroic, empathetic, tragic, and loyal beyond no measure. I owe authors who have created such characters everything, as I truly believe I wouldn't be here without them. Whenever I feel alone, I know there is always someone, even if they exist only through stories.
Literature is a part of who I am. It lives through me, in everything I do. I don't think I could ever be more passionate about it, because it has been ingrained into my very being since I was just a child. To literature, I owe my life. It has truly saved me.