Words

As a child, I would be lost in the images words brought to life. Painfully shy, books were my salvation. Much to my parents’ annoyance, I read everywhere, in the bathroom, under the bed covers with a torch, while eating and sometimes while walking as well. Finishing a good book was like having a small piece of myself dying.
As I grew older, the origin of words and the similarity in meanings of words in different languages added to the fascination. Literature was my subject of choice. Like most people in my country, I speak a few languages and there is usually a common root to frequently used words.  More often than not, context provided the necessary introduction to a new word and the dictionary helped when the sounds did not elicit a probable meaning.
One of the earliest verses from the Bible that we memorised as children was, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1. This sounds like the praises to the pranava to me.
At my dad’s funeral, the reading was from 1st Corinthians Chapter 15 and at that time, I found my understanding of those verses was close to the Vedantic interpretation of life and death.
Increasingly, words, spoken and unspoken seem to be pointers. It all seems to come down to sound. Everything is the same on the outside. I have my family, work, social obligations but there is something more powerful at work in ways I do not understand. It’s a compulsion that drives me to open texts and they seem clear and loud. I do not question anymore but follow the call of words and it’s a rich world as I see with new eyes. There is so much available that I could spend a lifetime studying and yet not scratch the surface. 
Sometimes it feels like I am living two parallel lives, one on the inside and another on the outside. I don’t feel a need to get away from my life but do look forward to completing my chores and work so that I can read in silence. Most mornings I wake up very early even without an alarm and it is a peaceful time to be quiet. Is this how it is for other people on a similar journey?