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"You always have your nose buried in one book or the other!" My friends would remark constantly. Usually, I lower my book, put on a smile (and likely roll my eyes internally) before returning to my book. These girls had no idea I was in my utopia and no invitation to play or have fun, however sweetly enticing, could persuade me to join them.
Over the years, as we grew up together and attended schools, they began to understand that my books, usually literature of all kinds, and I were inseparable. And they respected that and gave me my space —to daydream and get lost in the pages of my books.
Have you ever read an interesting novel that resonates with you and while daydreaming, you find yourself transported into the story, maybe as one of the characters, acting along with the plot? Every time I pick up a book to read, I literally get lost in the words, pages, and sometimes scenes in the plots and subplots.
I have many things I daydream about such that I could regale you with probably silly and incredibly unrealistic tales of things I'd want to achieve, places I'd want to visit, and the world and lifestyle I'd want to live.
Rather, let me tell you about my desire to always be a part of each story I read. This started when I was little and reading many classic fairy tales like Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Queen, Cinderella and so on. I would envision myself being any of the characters in the story so I could feel what they felt and see what their world looked like.
Would I like their world better? Would I act any differently if I was Cinderella being mistreated by my stepmother and stepsisters? Of course, I would fight back. Instead of running home when the clock struck 12, I would drag the Prince out of the party before midnight and tell him everything. This way, he wouldn't waste days and effort searching for the right feet for the glass slippers.
In my fantasies, I would love the lives of the characters in the book, walk the streets of the fictional towns and cities and experience their joys and struggles. Usually, I end up making different choices from what the author wrote. Once, I ran away as Oliver Twist from Mudfog and made sure Fagin never found me, enjoying my new and better life with Mr Brownlow!
The fascinating part of these fantasies was… I lived many lives and visited many places all the while curled up in a chair with my nose buried in my book, right in my little town.
So I found a means of bringing these daydreams to life — I wrote short stories. Some stories turned out silly and hilarious while some were not so bad and captivating.
As I read books, my desire to own more grew. I would save my pocket money and spend it on books. Frustration struck when I found books in libraries or bookstores that I couldn't afford. So I daydreamed of becoming a librarian where I had easy access to books of all kinds and spent the whole day reading tons of them.
Sometimes, this library dream takes a different shape which I spin into another utopia. In this new world, a bedroom was built into this gigantic library with a kitchenette. Then I locked myself inside the library for months, reading to my heart's content with no contact with the outside world.
As the dreams grew bigger, it made sense to own the library rather than lock myself in it. So my recurring dreams centred around starting my library or bookstore and making it the best in my country. In my fantasies, I would travel to cities renowned for their collections of rare books, classics and manuscripts.
First, I would visit Oxford, England where the famous Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe, is located. It would be a dream come true to see the design of the library, and how it's operated and use the same information to upscale my library. I would also meet some Oxford scholars.
Next, I would visit Bibliothèque nationale de France, one of the largest libraries in the world, located in Paris. But my fantasy travels would not be complete without visiting The Marciana Library located in Venice, Italy. This public library is renowned for its largest collection of classic Greek and Roman texts!
When I have amassed all these books and collections in my library, then I would gladly throw open my doors and welcome in as many fellow bookaholics as would want to bask in the glory of my literary treasures.
Of course, this means I would meet with authors from far and wide and they would use my library as a research space. This would be about enriching the mind which is more valuable than any other kind of wealth.
A bookstore is not a bad place to start, right? Hopefully, someday, my dreams will come true. Maybe not in its entirety but a satisfying version of it.