Ode to Books

I love watching people peruse the bookstore; their brows knit in a seeking and curious, yet slightly serious way. Their eyes wide open, darting rapidly over various titles and authors. One brow raises as they come across something new and intriguing, then a smile slowly spreads across the face as their eyes fall upon a familiar title, bringing back warm memories, memories of a story they loved, or maybe even of someone who loved that story. It’s a silent process, browsing the shelves of a bookstore, but the expressions in the face say a thousand words.

Books, magical indeed; full of knowledge, information, experience, feelings, expression. How is that the simple process of staring at black letters on a white page can turn into one of the most incredible journeys? As your eyes dart over the letters and your hands gently support the book, your mind goes on a wild adventure to far away places, meets people it has never known, learns about things it didn’t know even existed, and yet the body remains still, aside from the occasional turn of the page or cross of the legs. These simple black letters can bring us to tears, cause our hearts to leap, or our breath to gasp. They can provoke feelings and thoughts that stay with us long after we part ways with the book. They can influence our thinking, our perspective, and our way of being in the world.

As I sit, surrounded by books of all genres, written by people from all walks of life, I can’t help but feel the energy from all those experiences that inspired their writing swirling around me, and in turn, inspiring me.

Thank you books, for being so simplistic in form, yet unlimited in your capacity to help us dream, experience, adventure, and feel, without so much as the turn of a page.