If I could get hitched in a Library ...

Today, after a long time I found myself in a library, reading. The smell of books, the quiet and me flipping through pages alone,  got me feeling a calm bliss.
I apparently love books more than I love social contact and suddenly thought it would be a wacky idea to get married in a library. This triggered my thought on why I have always loved books.

 My first book was 'Little Red Riding Hood' which my dad got me from a lending library. To this day, I don't remember if I chose the book because it had a red girl on it or if I love Red because I chose the book.

As a child I remember reading 'The Secret Garden' and crying my heart out and as I grew, I've read suspense, fantasy, sci-fi action with romances being a fixture. I've read books for 2 days straight without water or food! Yeah, am that crazy.

Non-fiction never appealed much to me because I read books to escape from hard reality.
I still do, seek to escape from reality, that is. Sometimes though, my cynical self rears its head and I throw the soppy novel I've been reading. Then, after weeks, I read another one all through the night. I realized that sometimes I'm completely buried in books and then I get bored and stay away from them. A love-hate relationship of sorts.

With the advent of e-books, I see myself reading more stories, but I still miss the thrill of turning pages and the smell of a well-read book. Books have shaped the way I think, the way I perceive the world and unfortunately my expectations too. So far, the only grouse has been that books have, in a way, clouded my sense of reality and my expectations. However, I'm still in two minds if it's a good thing or not.

For other people books are a hobby, for me books have always been a part of my life, I could always bury my sorrows in a good book, laugh the loudest because I read something  or be completely moved by a book for days together.

To books, I will always love you. Thank you for being there for me.

Here's to Steel Magnolias

 I can't make up my mind on whether I want to be rescued or do the rescuing.

When I was younger, I wanted a Knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet. To be honest, even now some girlish part of me thinks it might happen. Then, I realize I'm more of a warrior woman and any girlish part I might have curtails to primping myself.

I think it's a huge gender reversal of sorts. Times have changed but some men are still intimidated by a confident woman or worse they don't respect the woman. We are still compassionate, emotional and feminine. We still love clothes, kittens, puppies and food, just that now, we're made of steel. If men were confident with themselves, they wouldn't be intimidated by us. And no, just because we do the wooing, doesn't mean we belong to the fast lane.

By the time men get the courage to walk up to us, we're rolling our eyes and would rather have fun with our gal pals. We'd rather charge into the battle field wearing armor ourselves, than wait for some imaginary Knight. It doesn't make us any less of a Lady.

Then there's another enigma.Why are women measured depending on who their partner/spouse is, or if they even have one? Why can't a woman be single and enjoy life on her own terms? Why can't she get shackled to whom she wants and when she wants?

I prefer being the warrior woman and getting a man who can handle me, just the way I am. The societal dainty ladies need rescuing from Knights, not steel magnolias.