A Journey Through Pages
 A Journey Through Pages: From Coal Camp Comics to Audiobook Adventures
Picture this: a young boy in a tiny coal camp, surrounded by just twenty homes, feeling like he’s living on an island in the middle of nowhere. That boy was me, and my ticket off that island? Comic books. Oh, those glorious, colorful, 10-cent wonders!
The Comic Book Chronicles
At the ripe old age of seven (that’s 1948 for those keeping score), I was already a seasoned comic book connoisseur. There I’d be, perched on our couch, nose-deep in a Dick Tracy adventure. Imagine my wide-eyed wonder when I saw Dick talking into his wristwatch-like it was a phone! Little did I know I was glimpsing the future—or that I’d one day be yelling at my smartwatch for misunderstanding my request to “Call Mom.”
These comics weren’t just entertainment; they were my personal Rosetta Stone. I’d stumble upon words I’d never seen before, jot them down, and look them up at school the next day. We didn’t have a dictionary at home—apparently, my parents thought “food” and “shelter” were more important. Priorities, am I right?
And let’s not forget my brief stint as a linguistic innovator when I confidently pronounced Yosemite Sam as “Yose-mite Sam.” Clearly, I was ahead of my time.
The Great Comic Book Trade
Now, every kid in our camp had their own comic book stash, and we traded like Wall Street brokers on caffeine. It was here I honed my negotiation skills. “I’ll give you two Archies for that Batman, and I’ll throw in a slightly chewed pencil.” Ah, the art of the deal!
High School: The Library Awakening
High school brought a revelation—libraries! Suddenly, my world exploded like a superhero origin story. My first “grown-up” book? “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” It was like graduating from tricycles to motorcycles overnight.
The Audiobook Revolution
Fast forward through marriage, kids, and a divorce (because who needs sleep, right?), and we land in 1992. Enter audiobooks—my new best friends. Now I could “read”, er, listen while driving, shopping, or mowing the lawn. Multitasking at its finest!
Today, my audiobook collection stands at over 800 titles. My goal? To hit 1,000 before I kick the bucket. It’s a race against time, folks!
The Memory Game
Here’s a fun quirk: I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing during memorable parts of audiobooks. With regular books, all I remember is my favorite chair and the number of snacks I consumed. Audiobooks: 1, Regular books: 0.
Why Reading Matters?
So, why has reading stuck with me like gum on a shoe? Because it’s my passport to everywhere. It introduced me to cultures, ideas, and emotions I never knew existed. It’s made me a better writer, thinker, and probably a better dancer (okay, maybe not that last one).
Is everything I write 100% original? Who knows? Maybe I’m just remixing ideas I’ve read, adding my own special sauce. But hey, if it’s good enough for Shakespeare (yeah, he borrowed ideas too), it’s good enough for me!
As Vincent van Gogh says, “I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” Well, Vinnie, thanks to reading, boredom doesn’t stand a chance in my world. So here’s to more adventures, more words, and more audiobooks–may the stories never end!
