Books hold a special kind of love in my heart. I don't know that I would consider them friends, family... but perhaps those within the pages are.
I was raised with storytelling. Spoken word of travels and adventures by my globe-trotting grandparents. Tales read aloud by my parents before sleep. Getting over my frustration of reading for the first time and delving into magical worlds. And further still in plays, movies, television, and video games.
I have easily read and lived the famous "thousand lives" quote. For storytelling has become such a necessary part of my being. If all else is taken from me, if I have books I will survive.
Many books of mine have been lost over the years and I still mourn their absence. If I had it my way I would still have them all... they would have shown my life in a way nothing else can. Like a more detailed photo album of my ages, breaking down my interests and things that fundamentally influenced my personality.
Books are the building blocks to who we are and who we can be. Whether we are inspired to be like or warned against, they explain an infinite variety of people in a way that would be impossible to understand in the real world. And with everything we read, there is a small reflection that makes us understand ourselves better.
Potential is not about the person, but rather what we would do in their shoes. Characters in books are the same. We get frustrated when they make wrong decisions and rejoice when they do the right thing. Many of us can identify with the same character yet it can be for completely different reasons.
Storytelling is the universal language. It is human nature at its finest. All the way back to cave paintings and tales across a bonfire, we have such a need to inform and entertain. Now we have worldwide phenomenons that are translated into languages that further the reach far beyond what we could have managed just a few decades ago.
If you are to love anything in life, let it be books. They will be there unconditionally, with open pages to welcome you home.
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