I can't even tell you what the first book I read was. All I know is that I started reading and that I've never wanted to stop.
I read every day now. Most of my friends question how I have the time to do this between everything I have going on, but I simply find time to pick up a book right before I go to bed. Yes, this puts me on a grandma status, and I may have been reading "Les Misérables" since February now, but I still enjoy that small part of the day where I get to be transported to another story.
Books gave me the gift of reading. But reading gave me the gift of storytelling. I love finding the stories in everything -- from movies to music to people. Everything in this world has its own unique story to tell. Isn't that something special?
I live for seeing stories in my everyday life. It's the reason I have such a long book/movie/show list. It's part of the reason I wanted to go into healthcare -- because you get to work with so many different people who have different stories. When I realized my love for books I thought my only option was some kind of English-related field, but expanding that love to stories let me incorporate it into every other passion I have.
There is no life without stories. Everyone does something every day that contributes to their story. These stories are what makes us all different. Even if you are doing the same thing as someone else, you might have completely different feelings about the situation. Your story is just as special and unique as you.
I'm still searching for stories wherever I can get them. I'm happy that I'm finding them almost everywhere now, but I will forever cherish what started it all: a good book.