Yippee! It’s a Half Century

                                  

Hey! I’ve scored a half century guys and still Not Out :e. Wow! Isn’t it amazing? Oh! Are you wondering if I play cricket? No, I don’t. Then what is this half century about?

Well, I was just updating my ‘Currently Reading’ shelf on GoodReads (goodreads.com - the world's largest site for readers) and as soon as I clicked on ‘I’m finished’ for a book (For One More Day by Mitch Albom), I noticed that I have read 55 books. At least GoodReads’ stats say so :tup.

Now, those who like to pick up a book only when they are sleep deprived ;) must be saying in their minds – How could you and what is there to be so happy about it?  And those, who are into reading, must be thinking – what’s the big deal? Just 55 books? But I am sure those who read must be able to understand what an amazing journey I have had while going through these books.

I had never been a reader, neither in school nor in college. I never read books except the ones in my course every year. In fact I used to hate reading and whenever I saw anyone reading I was like – BAH! (Sorry for this :( ) But then a change happened and I am glad that it happened as now I cannot think of living without books and reading. They have become an inevitable part of my life. I now realize what I had been missing when I was not reading. Yet, it is better late than never, right? Soon I will be celebrating my second birthday as a reader ^_^. Did I hear a few of you saying – ‘2 years and 55 books, then it is okay’. WOH, what a relief!

No! Seriously, do you really think it is the number that matters? Of course I am happy with this sense of achievement of scoring a half century however I strongly agree with –

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” 
― Mortimer J. Adler

And believe me, books actually change you, but only for good. I started reading when I was going through the lows of my life and picked up a book so I could get rid of all the crap going on in my head. Initially it took some effort, but soon I read one after the other and then I never looked back. Ask me, what will I consider as one of the best moments and I will say – Reading a book while sitting on a window side, with a cup of coffee, which I am sure, would remain untouched as books are like drugs and reading is an addiction which makes you forget the world around you and that too with all the positive effects.

I have been asked one question many times and by many people. One day, a friend asked me the same question – ‘What do you get out of these books?’ :/ Of course she does not read and was pissed off with me as it is usual between us that I don’t hear to what she says when I am reading. When I heard her question, I smiled and then laughed but only to enrage her more. I replied – ‘I won’t be able to make you understand what I get from them. It is something that you won’t understand unless you experience it yourself.’

Here I am trying to put in words, what they actually mean to me or an answer to – ‘What I get from them?’

Like wind in the boundless space

You let my imagination soar

In this one lifetime

I got so many lives to explore

I discover world after world

As we voyage through times

I meet different people

And live through their lives

I laugh with them

And you join my laughter

I cry with them

And you give me a shoulder

When I feel their pain

I scream holding you tight

I celebrate their love and happiness

With utmost delight

I undergo several emotions

Through your pages

The time spend with you

Give me experience of ages

You help me grow wiser

With each day passed

You bring me hope

When everything seems so dark

You give me strength

When I am scared and broken

You motivate me

When I feel discouraged and shaken

You bring the answer

To my every question

You are the mirror

Where I can see my reflection

Together with you I travel

Not just in the outer world

But I travel into my own self

With so many lessons learnt

You are the most patient

Telling me a story every night

Through you I understand

The secrets of life

I know you will never leave me

Unless I decide to go away

Whenever I’ll come to you

You will love me back the same way

You have been a teacher,

A motivator and a counselor

I feel so fortunate

As in you I have found a friend forever.

These are my views about reading and books. If you are a non-reader, start reading and experience the magic yourself. If you are a reader, please share your thoughts. I would love to know about - ‘What do you get from books?’