Ever since I was little, I have loved reading. Something about the way it transports us into a whole new world with exciting characters and intriguing dialogue has kept my attention for years. Reading is a form of escape for me. At any point of any day I am able to pick up a book of any genre and become the character within. This, to me, is liberating and exciting.

I don’t only read to escape though. I read to learn about the world and see perspectives that I never imagined possible. I read to experience emotions and ideas outside of my normal realm. I read to learn, to experience and to grow.

Think about how many books there are in the world. Think about all of the different beginnings and endings. Think of the alternate worlds and the endless supply of entertainment. That’s exciting, is it not? So many of us crave escape. So many of us crave something different.

Your life and what you do with it are constantly composing your personal story. That’s kind of intimidating if you think of it. We are confined to writing our life story. We are limited to our lives. How liberating it is to be able to live someone else’s experience for a few hours a week.

I am not telling you not to love your own life story. It is unique to you and no one else can tell it or experience it or love it like you do. But it is beneficial to let the weight off of your shoulders and get lost in the multitude of books. It is beneficial to get drown in the white pages. It is beneficial to follow the black ink on the pages until you lose sense of your own world and transport into another.

Whether you love literature, poetry, fiction or anything else that Barnes and Nobel has to offer, just love something. Find your genre and go wild. Escape your life for a second, take a deep breath and open up a book. Then go back to fearlessly writing your own life story.