It is around six years old that a child starts to read. Before this point, he depends on someone else to read to him, to give him the story. Now he can open a book himself and watch the words come to life.
Immediately, thousands of doors are opened, and anything is possible. He can allow his imagination to take flight. In his mind, he sees the characters, setting and plot before him--something no one can take away. The author has shared something so special, so important, with the reader. As years pass, those first stories will stay with him, how they shaped his view of the world.
Yes, a book is an inanimate object, but it surely has a mind of its own. A writer spends day after day crafting this masterpiece, expressing his biggest fears and scariest thoughts. The entire time, he thinks about his audience. He knows, while writing, which moments will make them cringe and which will make them cry; he knows which characters they will hate and those they will fall in love with. After many nights of praying, and hoping, his first love--his words--are released, to be shared with everyone.
Books are my first love. When I need to escape for awhile, a good book comes to my rescue. When I feel upset, or stressed, or whatever, I soon forget what was even bothering me in the first place, because the words are so true. I go through and highlight my favorite sentences and phrases, the words that I never had the courage to say. And then, once I finish, I share the book with everyone I know, hoping that they feel its power, too.
Some stories make us cry because we imagine ourselves in the protagonist's place. We imagine being there in their situation, and we know we wouldn't be so strong. But their courage gives us courage, so much that we feel equipped to deal with our daily battles. Suddenly, our own struggles seem not so bad anymore.
In addition, two people will never agree completely on a story's meaning, and that is what makes it so special. Without even realizing, the reader adopts the words as his own. He applies it to his own life and what he has experienced, the emotions and situations he handled.
I believe that books make us the best versions of ourselves.
They teach us empathy, and forgiveness and wisdom. We do not know the author personally but we feel as though we do because writing is just that--so personal. There is a connection shared between the writer and his reader that can never be broken.
I write in hopes of making that same magic. I hope to reach out to a reader someday--or more than one--and teach them something. I hope to comfort them in times of need or guide them in times of confusion.
Anything to make the world seem a little less lonely.
