What Does Reading Do For You?...

I posted yesterday about what you learn from reading books. But what does reading do for you, other than entertain or inform?

By reading books, I learned some cool crafty stuff, because I'm a crafty kind of girl. I used to make jewelry, which I am slowly getting back into. I just can't do much of the tiny, intricate bead work I used to do because of the surgeries I had on my left wrist. But I learned how to make some great lotion bars and fizzy bath bombs.

I also learned how to be a better cook. My skills in the culinary field were very... meh. My mother even commented once that I was not very domesticated. Well, that comment got me going and I have become a very good cook, if I do say so myself.

Other than all of that, however, reading is very important to me. If I can't read a book, I get a little psycho. I need that escape. I don't go out and kill someone because I haven't read a book in months, but people tend to tick me off a lot faster. Watching TV or movies just isn't the same. Even gaming doesn't provide the escape that a good book does.

Escape may be important for me while reading, but it also offers up some valuable ME time. I get to read quietly and work my brain. Exercise my imagination and basically relax. There are nights when I read before bed and I sleep really well. Other nights, when I have no time to read, I can't shut down my brain and don't sleep well. So I make it a habit to try and read before I go to sleep, no matter what. I have to make the time. Then you get into that awesome book you  just can't put down... gah! That just means I have to go to bed a little early the next night, right?

So tell me, what does reading do for you?