That’s why I read a lot

I love to travel. I’d love to see the world “in all its splendor” and “in all its unsightliness.” But there’s a big but. I’ve never been to many places (at least physically). I’ve never even been in Manila! The farthest I’ve gone so far is the beautiful Cebu (and it was not for sightseeing; it was for my eye checkup!). I “envy” people talking about their travels to, for me, almost impossible-to-go-to places. They’ve been to Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, Baguio… and the longest list goes on. I can only sigh.

Maybe that’s why I read a lot. I just read everything, including product labels and scrapped newspapers, and mathematics and business administration textbooks. I’m not a math enthusiast. I don’t even dream to be a business person. But I read that stuff.

A few people admire me for being a voracious reader. They think I am very smart (haha!). My family members support this “addiction” (they call me a book addict) and at the same time nag me about it (they fear I might become nearsighted again considering that I had a laser eye operation last year).

I read a lot because through reading I can go places—even to the fantasy lands of Peter Pan and Ella Enchanted, even to my dream places, London and Paris.

I read a lot because I can be with people I don’t know. I can be an omniscient character in each story or book I read. I can look into each character’s heart. I can see what’s going on in the mind of the characters. I can be an unreasonable judge when the protagonist is being backed down.

I read a lot because reading releases my innermost emotions, especially the pains and sorrows hidden behind an unfeeling me (others see me that way). I am enraged when the protagonist does not fight back. I cry a pail when the main character loses someone he/she loves.

I read a lot because books are my comfort zones. When I feel that no one cares for me and that no one seems to have the time to listen to my woes, I grab a book, curl up, and disappear into a lost world of my thoughts.

I read a lot because I want to have something to share.

Others may not appreciate my sharing thoughts from the book I’ve read, but I believe that someday when I’m gone from their lives, they will remember those thoughts. A few others do not seem to be interested in those thoughts yet pretend to be just because I’m their friend (thank you, friend, I really need someone who listens to me!). Many others see me as a boring person. They think I’m no fun. They think I’m so lost in the realm of books that I don’t have the time to be a “fun friend.” And that’s okay. “The real test of a cake is in the eating,” my philosophy professor usually says. And I believe it.

I might be nearsighted again because I’m being stubborn, but they will never know how far my vision reaches because of reading a lot.

I may reach my dream of travelling around the world someday. Isn’t it amazing that it’s starting now! I read, right?

Here’s to the book lovers like me! And, of course, to those who have a travelling heart like mine! Someday I will write a book that inspires. Maybe someone will read this, and that’s a good start, right?

Zynara G. Sareno, 21, is teaching at Bukidnon Faith Christian School Inc. and working on a master’s degree in English language teaching in Bukidnon State University.