A reader

Have you ever noticed how people seem to either be readers or not. It's one of those dichotomies where not too many people fall in the middle. You either seem to love reading and see books out to read just for fun or ... you're not a reader and you've maybe read a handful of books because of school, but you're not making a trip to the bookstore anytime soon.

Personally, I'm a reader. I love books. I love the smell of old paper. The smell that seems to permeate the air in quiet corners of a library or a book that has yellowing of the pages on the edges due to time spent on a shelf. This personal characteristic or quality was instilled in me as a child. I grew up reading every night before bed. That was part of my parents routine and easily became a part of mine. Also, my parents would always buy me books. The rule was that as long as I read them, my parents would never refuse to buy me books. Sadly, I no longer have as much time to read for fun. I try my best during breaks and time off to squeeze in a novel or two. I'm looking forward to eventually being able to reinstate the habit of reading every night.

Traveling to far away lands, back in time, or to made up worlds - all due to my imagination and the words on a page. Books are probably the one reason I don't mind flying alone. Saturday I returned to Hershey and per my usual routine. I read and slept on the plane and would wake to read some more and then sleep some more. At the airports I wander a bit and then read. Reading is my portal to another time and place - rather than sitting in an airport ... just waiting.
Sat I read an amazing book, "Water for Elephants." It was the perfect book for my long 15.5 hr trek back to Hershey. This was the type of book where I kept turning the pages, excited to find out what came next. It was one of those books where you reach a certain point and you know you have to finish it before you fall asleep that night. I love that!
All you readers out there know what I'm talking about. And for those non-readers, maybe you just haven't found the right book.