A Book A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

 'Then we push the hero aside; then we plunge into the tale in our own person...and then, and then only, do we say we have been reading a romance.' Robert Louis Stevenson, "A Gossip on Romance" (1882)

I was struggling this week to think of a topic to write about. Sometimes, it feels like I rush through my days of tasks without taking note of my surroundings. I can tell you the latest news story but I'm not sure I could formulate a particular opinion on it. My days of staring into space appear to have withered slightly. 

I associate this problem with the decline in my reading. There was a time I'd devour a book in 24 hours, barely stopping for air, but life seems to have gotten in the way. I miss the student lifestyle; the long holidays, the hunger for learning, the necessity of sitting and thinking - just thinking. They say the first stage of rehabilitation is admittance. 

With this in mind, I made sure I spent my Friday night/Saturday morning in the presence of "The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. This brought me to the realisation that one of my favourite things to do, in the entire world, is to reflect. 

When I was younger, I would constantly 'have my nose in a book'. As children, the four of us would visit my grandparents often. Once there, I would seek the quietest room to sit and delve into a strange new world. Throughout school, I nurtured this happy solitude and used it to gain my place at University. Whilst some people can credit 'finding themselves' with travelling round Europe or bungee-jumping in America, my self-discovery is largely down to Jane Eyre and Carol Ann Duffy. 

I guess it makes sense then that when I begin to feel lost, when I begin to feel like I've lost touch with the world, I find peace in the emotional world of literature. Stevenson's quote highlights this spiritual and physical connection. The character you form in your mind suddenly becomes real; you feel their anxiety, their love, their anger. Your heart literally pounds when Mr Darcy bares his soul in his letter to Elizabeth. 

It is through these emotions, I learnt to master the art of independence and to harden my heart to those who are not so deserving. And now, as life feels a little strange and I seek to re-connect with my imaginative and creative self, I find myself drawn to the Blythe sisters and their nostalgic tendencies. The similarities between us give me the chance to unravel mysterious traits in my personality whilst allowing me to feel again. I love the way you start a book, not knowing where it will take you, and, when you finish and feel enlightened, you look at your own life and wonder what your story will be. 

 After all,

 “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”(J.R.R.Tolkien).

Life can make stones out of us all.