#IReadBecause

Illustration by Chris Buzelli

I read because life is too short for me to do everything. Even if I decide to have nothing but adventures and travel everyday, all day till I die it’s still too short because I still won’t be spearing down a mammoth or hold the fate of the universe in my hands or win a match by catching the golden snitch. 

I read because reality can be limited. Limited by where I go and what I do. Limited by what I know. Limited by laws of physics. Limited by the time moving only forward.

Water by Brian Stauffer

I read because I want to share a moment, a memory that is independent of time and place. When I read a book that my dad has read, I know I’m sharing a moment with him even if I can’t create any more memories with him. It sparks a crazy hope in me that my unborn children and grandchildren will pick up the book long after I’m gone and still be a part of that moment along with me and my dad. 

I read because I lose myself otherwise. In other people’s trials and travels I find emotions I din’t know existed in me; thoughts are triggered, desires are awakened, horizons are pushed, perspectives changed, imagination is charged, and I see a me who is more alive after the reading. 

I read because, the way food sustains my shell, 

Reading nourishes my soul. 

Illustration by Julie Paschkis

The post is a response to a writing prompt on Medium.