Dear Family:
I'm not actually a misanthrope. I love you all very much, and getting to see you at the holidays is one of my favorite things. After all, my friends can attest to the fact that I talk of little else than our upcoming meetings whenever a trip approaches. So please don't take offense when I leave you all raucously debating politics, the latest film or movie you have all recently consumed or upcoming plans.
Sometimes, a girl just needs to read.
See, I live in a small apartment in a very loud and busy city. There are many moments where I am able to tune out the rest of the world -- either by shutting a door or putting in headphones -- and can dive into a book. Suddenly the world around me is silent, and I get to walk down a fabled drive or across a make believe world with characters who never have to deal with the mundane things of life like bills and subway fares and calorie counting.
I really love this time where I am alone and yet not alone. You all are the ones who taught me to escape into books, and it's totally possible that part of my love of reading comes from wanting to be like one of you when I grow up. Now I'm grown up, and there are moments that I just want to be in a book more than I want to converse with real people.
In my cynical moments, I blame you all for this addiction. This is normal -- blaming the parents and family for things like book addiction.
No, okay, that's not true. I thank you all for this because reading makes me super, super happy all the time. I love few things more than the contented feeling I get sitting in my arm chair surrounded by my many bookcases that I've filled to the brim, and in some places have double stacked because I run out of room.
I only really curse this addiction you cultivated in me when I have to move and that means packing and schlepping the books up and down many flights of stairs.
But anyways. Don't take offense when I disappear. I just need to hang out in some make believe for a while, that's all.
Love
Your Kid