I love to read. I don't get a lot of time to read recreationally during the school year because my textbooks take priority over the ever-growing pile of books on my book shelf that I want to read. I also love to listen to music, which I can luckily do constantly while I walk to class, do homework, drive in the car or hang out with friends. I think that almost everyone loves to read and listen to music, they are two of the most popular hobbies on the planet among those to whom they are availabe.

I got to thinking about why I like to read and why I like to listen to music, as my favorite song played in the background and the novel I am reading was propped open on my bed (currently: Vonnegut). I had a highlighter in my hand and was highlighting quotes I liked as I came across them on the pages (don't worry, it is my own personal copy). I realized that I like the words. I like reading and listening to words written by other people. I have so many thoughts in this little, odd head of mine, and although I love to write, I feel when I try to put my own words together they don't come together in the correct way to convey what I am thinking or feeling in an accurate or coherent enough way. I can't tell you how many times I've come up with an idea for a journal entry, or blog post, or essay for class, or even an article for the Odyssey, where I have scratched the whole thing all together because it just simply doesn't sound right or good or clear when it translates from my brain to words on a white blank page.

So that is why I like other people's words. And I think that other people can relate to that notion. You come across a lyric or a quote that perfectly describes a fleeting moment, emotion, or idea and you think, "Yes. This is what I've been looking for." It is the relatability of the words of our favorite authors and artists that I think is what makes them, well, our favorite. When you can read the words of a novel or a song that strings together just the right words in just the right way that makes your heart feel full in a way that no other thing or being can do: that is why I love words. I like knowing that there is another person on this planet who has had the same thoughts, feelings or ideas as me, they just happen to be able to put it down on a page in a way that makes sense and in a way that is beautiful. I cling to the phrases, quotes and lyrics like these. The words created by another person that make me feel like my own life makes a little more sense.

One day I hope that I can create the words that make someone else's heart feel full, or maybe even my own.