Words come way before they are written.

I dream them.

I’ve  always dreamed in words, phrases, sentences and whole paragraphs.

They would gently pull me out of a deep slumber or even a light nap. When I was younger (and read more) the current book I would be reading would find its way into my dreams. Characters and story arcs would come alive in my dreams. This  need to know  what the next page or chapter lured me out of my sleep to read some more. I often would read a book so enjoyable I would make myself close it for fear of finishing it! I didn’t want the story to end.

As I became older and discovered texts like Diaz Junot’s The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Wally Lamb’s, I know This Much is True or even Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf  I found myself rereading passages that struck me to my core. The writers’ ability to pull me, the reader, in was (and still is) transcendental.

Whole lives may be shifted and new courses taken all based on the written word. How awesome is that? I remember reading Toni Cade Bambara’s Salt Eaters in college. I was struck with the juxtaposition of the two worlds people of color exist within (even when they don’t realize it). The power of that novel haunts me to this day as it centers around a main character whom struggles with mental health concerns. How ironic.

Years later this concept of what it means to be well takes on a personal meaning for me as I have my own struggles with being well and continually focus on what “being well” looks like and feels like in a bustling New England life.

I am currently rooted in Brooklyn, pushing myself to slow down. It may sound strange to want to slow down in a city that never sleeps. However, the idea of returning to what I know holds true and gives me comfort. I want to actively return to the world of never ending books.

Words.

Written words with the power to shift and change one’s perspective on life-how its viewed, how its valued and how one may choose to focus one’s energy. Life-ever changing and fragile must be lived. I happily go back to my roots. Books and more books as I continue to explore what it means to “be well”.

Dear reader, what are some things in life you enjoy that you have strayed from? Do you plan on going back to those things? I’ll happily await your response. Until next time, blessings.