For as long as I can remember, reading has been one of my absolute favorite things to do. When asked what some of my hobbies are, reading is always response number one or two. Not only is it something I do, but it's something I am; I am a reader.

Many people don't get reading though. They don't understand the importance or the value of it. Throughout middle school and high school, I would carry a book with me at almost all times. When I finished an assignment or had free time (especially during lunch) I was nose deep in a book. I cannot tell you, though, how many times I would get asked, "why don't you just watch the movie?" or "why don't you wait for the movie to come out?" I'm sad to say that even my teachers would ask me. Some people just don't get it. And that's okay. I don't get sitting in a building that's camouflaged and shooting at clueless animals, we all have our things.

What many don't realize though, that books aren't just words on a page. They're not something that can fully be conveyed in two hours or even in a series of movies that are two hours each. Imagine trying to fit all of the thoughts you have had in one single day into ten minutes. It's impossible! Now imagine living through a day and not having thoughts or hearing your thoughts. It's so dull and meaningless. There is so much more to a book than a movie. When you watch a movie, you get the surface, you get the day without thoughts. When you read a book, you get everything. The deep, raw emotions. The heartbreak and joy. You get to either become that character, fall in love with that character, or absolutely despise that character because you know them almost as well as you know yourself.

Reading is so much more than just a story,

it is an escape. You get to leave your head for a little while and go into someone else's. You get to live another life. You get to fall in love with someone else as they fall in love. Reading isn't just seeing words, it's living lives.

So the next time you pick up a book and someone pokes fun at you, just remember, they are the ones missing out. Time travel is something that is very sought after and when you pick up that book, you can travel anywhere.

And if you are on the other end, the next time you want to poke fun at someone reading, think about what you do in your free time. Is it expanding your mind? Is it going on adventures to far off places? Is it having the ability to escape for a little while?

Reading isn't just to make you smarter or look intellectual, reading is getting out of your head and into another's. It's going through a wardrobe to a far off land, its traveling through space and time, it's fighting evil presidents and saving people in need.

This may sound like a rant (let's be honest, it is a rant) but that's because this is something very important to my heart. Reading is so great because not only does it expand your mind and knowledge, but it expands your imagination! So enjoy the stories people have to tell and then go out and make your own.