“Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove…..”

The great Shakespeare in Sonnet 116 speaks of a love that does not alter because of the alterations it finds along the way. Such are the beautiful writings that will escape you if you do not read.

Woven with a lot of taste and finesse, it would be sad that one misses the meal they offer the heart and mind. See, reading is an unspoken romance that allows the reader the opportunity to have a unique intimacy with the words of the writer. Going to lands unknown and flying where the birds dare not reach; reading allows your imagination lots of freedom. However, all this is lost to the person that does not read.

For those that read, invite as many people into these unchartered waters this Valentine’s Day so they can enjoy this unbridled love.

For those that want to join this beautiful carriage, then step into that library and buy a book to start the journey. However, starting solely may be a challenge, so how about joining a reading club. That way, there will be more hands to hold you should the road get bumpy that you feel like jumping ship.

Oh, sorry for making you feel caged. Reading is not simply about romance as it can be as varied as academic to see ‘how atoms form molecules’ or ‘how to tell different rocks apart’. It could also be as real as biographies and memoirs. The dishes vary greatly so you can pick what meets your fancy.

With these books, you will broaden your understanding about different subject matters. It will also allow you knowledge enough that when engaged in a conversation, you have more and better to bring on table. That is the sweet music of eloquence. That is not forgetting having a perspective that allows you to mingle with different people with ease. All because you can easily have your way with words. So, this Valentine’s Day, get your wife a book or two on that subject that seems to give her a hard time. Woman, get your husband that book that, for instance, helps him to soar in his career space. There is too much to offer.

Reading also sings its way to children and you can start this amazing journey with them by reading to them at a tender age. That way, their love for reading grows. It also allows their imagination to grow which will subsequently shape the way they interact with others and express themselves. Therefore, this Valentine’s Day, give them books to read and learn.

I have this feeling that reading will do children more good than watching cartoons. Nonetheless, I stand to be corrected but better still, some of these cartoons can be enjoyed as a book that allows them to actually read the words themselves. Those books are a gift that will keep giving, making their minds sharper and developed. Imagine a child that understands the synonyms and antonyms of each word they encounter!

Joan S, parenting coach, blogger and journalist