That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving the feet.
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
Books top the list when it comes to things from B. I am thankful for the books. I was introduced to books at a very early stage. My parents were educators, and my dad would take to me his college library, where i fell in love with the fictional characters over summer holidays each year. Over the years while reading books, I have lived different lives, been at numerous places, have laughed, cried and spent sleepless nights losing all track of time with the protagonists of those stories. My other source of books at that time would be my school library. I would willingly give away recess time in lure of a book. In medical school, there were many with similar ailment, and the terms without exams would be spent trading books losing self in the parallel universe. As with many things, life took over once I was out as a young professional, wife and a mother. I would still buy books from the roadside vendors at traffic signals in Delhi. The Amazon kindle app on smartphone gave a leash to my reading habit and ever since then I have read hundreds, if not thousands.
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.
George R. R Martin, A dance with dragons.
I have lived in the cold dormitory with Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte), wandered over the moors with Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte). Laura Castellano became my inspiration in Medicine (Doctors, Eric Segal). I have read Harry Potter time and again whenever I have felt the need to keep my trust in love and magic alive. On the days when feeling low, a breezy romance by Nicholas Sparks brings smile. When I need support, I look for strong feminist characters crafted by authors like Chitra Banerjee, Elif Shafak, Maya Angelou to name a few. If I need a well spun story, Jeffrey Archer is most favorite. I loved the Indian mythology retold by Amish. I have empathized with the victims of World wars through authors of that time.
Give me an inexhaustible supply of books and I can live anywhere on Earth! My idea of a relaxing vacation is sea, sunshine and books. Books are my friends, companions and guide. Books open the doors to a new world which is more magical and more beautiful. They uplift your mood when sad. Make you emotional when you need that dose, or simply take you to new place and a different time. I prefer books over movies, because with a book keeps my imagination alive.
There is no friend as loyal as a book.
Ernest Hemingway
I am thankful for the comfortable bed to sleep each day. There are so many who struggle to find a place to sleep. Have been blessed to never face that ever in life. Even a night spent travelling makes one realise how lucky we are and how we so much take it for granted.
This post is written as a part of A2Z 2023, hosted by Blogchatter. #BlogchatterA2Z2023
I am writing The Gratitude Journal this April 2023. You can read my posts here A
The Vagabond 
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