I have so much to be thankful for - a wonderful husband, our amazing son, close family, good friends... But, as silly as it may sound to many people, I am also thankful for books.
1. Books introduced me to some of my first friends. Amelia Bedelia, Curious George, Amanda Pig, Arthur, Madeline, Spot, Paddington Bear... Too many to count! I learned to love books and reading by hearing my mom read to me about these characters and their adventures.
2. Books taught me to love reading. This sounds kind of obvious. But I'm talking about teaching me to love the intentional act of reading. Of picking out a book and finding the perfect place to enjoy it. Of settling in and losing yourself for hours within its pages. Of surfacing on the other side and being in a book haze for a while where you've got one foot in the real world and one in the fictional world you just left.
3. Books gave me Harry Potter. I mean, I can't not acknowledge this one. It was my first obsession, my first fandom. I was 12 when the first book came out and 21 when the last book came out. I grew up with Harry and all his friends and I still return to that world as often as I can.
4. Books give me worlds to escape to whenever I need to run. Wonderland. Neverland. Oz. Red London, Grey London, White London, Black London. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. And there are always new worlds to discover.
5. Books help me slow down and unplug. If you're like me, you often feel over-scheduled, over-worked, and connected to social media more often than you would like. It's hard to find a moment to take a breath and regroup. But books help me do that. Whether it's downloading a brand new ebook instantly on my phone to read anywhere and anytime I have a spare moment, or putting in my headphones and sitting down to listen to someone tell me a story over an audiobook, or snuggling in somewhere comfy to crack open a hardcover and lose myself in the black text on white pages... books help me recenter myself and find a moment of quiet in a world that often feels to me too loud and demanding.
So thank you, books, for these and many other gifts you have given me. And thank you, authors, for creating these magical words and worlds that give me peace and happiness. I am so grateful.
