Seeing with the mind's eye...

My parents taught me to read at an exceptionally early age. Escaping into books of poetry or novels were such an integral part of my life for so many years....

I used to read at every opportunity - in bed, in the bath, in the bathroom - on the MBTA....you name it, I was reading. I've always found it so magical to read a book and have such a vivid image of who the characters are. I can hear their voices, their dialects rolling off of their tongues; I can smell the scents in the air and hear the background noises surrounding them. To become involved in the stories of characters you've never met and yet feel so initmately connected with -- is such a gratifying experience for me.

I stopped reading on a regular basis about 10 years ago now. Mostly due to a lack of time; and what's so funny is that ten years ago, I had far more time than I do today. I've noticed the toll that the lack of reading has taken on me. Outside of the mere enjoyment of getting lost in another life, I've noticed that my vocabulary has decreased markedly. I'm also not quite as able to capture what I want to say quite as quickly....You just don't realize how sharp reading keeps your mind, especially when you're doing it for the relaxation or entertainment value.

Now, while I'm wandering through a bookstore - which is still one of my favorite things to do - I feel overwhelmed. There are so many books that I'd like to read....so many authors I've never heard of and not sure about taking a chance on.....and so many genres to choose from. I did buy a book though...only one, surprisingly. I had a few in my hand, and they ranged in topics from lighthearted comedies to autobiographies; dark stories of the human soul.... to heart warming stories of the human spirit. I chose the latter of the group. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd.

Over this past year, I've kept to most of my New Year's Resolutions.
I'm thinking that I'm going to add to my list this year "making the time to read 1 book a month".