Thursday, July 9, 2009

Yet Another Reason I Read

I have an incurable case of wanderlust. Even though, generally speaking, I love my life...I usually want to be somewhere else. If you've ever heard the music from Cats, I'm like Rum Tum Tugger: I'm "always on the wrong side of every door / And as soon as I'm home, then I'd like to get about."

Unfortunately, I'm also poor. I don't have the funds to even attempt a beginning at curing my wanderlust by actually going somewhere. At least, I can't sate my wanderlust by physical travels.

So I take mental travels instead. By reading, I allow my mind to take me to other places: sometimes to existing worlds, sometimes to worlds that only exist--ultimately--in my imagination. (In mine, you see, because even though the author's imagination created it, I'm the one who visualizes it...And I doubt I visualize anything exactly as the authors I read did.)

Reading allows me to forget, for a while, where I'm at. What I'm doing with my life. And allows me to wend my way through a different plot line, a more interesting time. I suppose this is why I find fiction indispensable. Fiction creates an infinite number of places for my mind to go when it wants to be anywhere but here.

7 comments:

Christina said...

I completely agree with you. I love traveling, but I can rarely afford it. So reading because a wonderful outlet. Do you have any of those lists we made in high school? I would love to know what they said!

Katie said...

Y'know, I'm pretty sure I have them somewhere...There's a thought. Maybe I should start an ongoing series of silly lists for my blog :)

GreenTaiwan said...

I think you should put your book down just long enough to come out to Scotland.

tammyfaye22 said...

Let's be honest--you don't need to go anywhere to escape from your life. You dwell in Katieland--a very special place indeed that should provide all the escape you need.

But just in case it doesn't, I'm glad you have books to help you out. :)

Jenny said...

Fiction is a way to escape. ^.^ <3

Schmetterling said...

NONONONONONO!!!! ESCAPE IS BAD! LIFE IS GOOD! LOVE IT! LOOOOVVVVEEEE IT!!!

Er...ya know...whatever....

Katie said...

I didn't say I hate my life. I'm rather fond of my life. And Schmet, I'm not giving up on fiction. Ever.

Speaking of which, have you read the Alcatraz sequel yet? I like it better than the first, even...