Why do I like to read? Why do I like campfires? Why do I like
rain? Well, I guess I like it because it’s calming. As you sit next to a fire,
feeling the warmth run across your skin, you can almost imagine you’re
anywhere. If you close your eyes and listen to the gentle crackle of the wood
and the hissing on the embers you can feel the world melt away. The smell of
wood smoke is like a warm blanket wrapping itself around me and holding the
world at bay. I can feel my toes dig into the mud and grass beneath my chair,
feel the heat burning and prickling my skin. I can imagine the sounds of my
family laughing and having fun.
It’s the same way with rain. I can sense it in the air
before the first drop falls. The clouds roll across the sky to block the sun’s
yellow light, bringing a dull gray light with them. The first drops fall slowly
and deliberately. They smack against the ground or upturned faces with a sort
of purpose. Soon they begin falling quicker. Soon faces turn down and the
sounds of feet smacking the wet pavement looking for cover rises. The cacophony
is drowned out by the thundering water. It smacks into the ground faster and
faster. Suddenly light beams across the sky. A few seconds later window
shattering bass cracks roll across the sky with the power of an oncoming wave. For
minutes at a time the light and noise battle across the sky in a dance older
than time. Finally it fades and the sound of rain hitting the windows begins. The
loud taps eventually fade into a quiet patter. Finally it fades completely.
With books it’s nearly impossible to explain. The feel of the rough paper between my
fingers, rubbing and scratching, is comforting like an old friend. The smell of
the freshly tattooed letters mixing with the aging paper is a smell that fills
ones senses with awe. The quiet snap and crackle of the spine as the glue
breaks and lets the backing bend for the first time. Letting the pages quickly flicker
over your thumb as you search for the right page is a gloriously familiar
tickle.
A question better than why I like these things would be why you
don’t. Or why do you even have to ask? Isn’t it obvious?
