Yesterday I spoke no more than a dozen proper words aloud. Mostly I got by on gasps and Ohmygods and frustrated grunting. Having taken a horrible fall the day before, I figured what better way to mend before my work week started then to just relax. Something I hadn’t done in ages. I dug out a new book, as I just finished my last, and started to read.

Anna and the French Kiss was enchanting. I’m glad I picked such a fun a light-hearted read. Something that would pull at my heartstrings, leave me wanting more with every page, but also leave me with a smile on my face. When I finished the book, yes I read it in one day, I made some dinner then curled up to watch an episode of Outlander. I’m reading the book in tandem with watching the show. One day the show is a little further and the next I’m a little further in the book. I didn’t anticipate enjoying this book and show as much as I do and every single day it leaves a smile on my face.

I’m now thinking about this, smiling like a git in my empty classroom, waiting for school to start. And you know what? This is the reason I love writing. This is the exact reason I want to do it all day and all night. This feeling inside me about to burst at the seams is from reading books. I spent 9 months yesterday in Paris. Today I’m back in the Highlands of Scotland. Books are transportable. They are mini time machines that can take you anywhere you want to go. You can experience anything your heart desires through reading. I get so excited about books and writing that I find myself turning biology lessons into a lesson about all the reasons a book could make it easier. Or better. Or just life-altering. The kids mostly think I’m to cooky substitute but I don’t care.

I write because I’m passionate about it. I write because I want someone to curl up with my book all day and feel as though they’ve spent time somewhere else. I want them to feel as though my book transported them somewhere else. I get to share this exprince with other people and get the excited too. If I can do that with my own writing, then I get to share the wonder that is reading with another person. There is no greater gift.