When stress kicks in, we all have different ways of coping. Some go for yoga, some for frozen yogurt. Some need a tearjerking song, some need a series of cat videos on Youtube. Some brew a cup of soothing tea, some throw back a beer.
Me? I grab Harry Potter.
Specifically, I grab my battered copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, bought on a trip to Canada (when my original Sorcerer’s Stone was lent out and never returned), in times when I’m stressed about a life transition.
Harry Potter is a big part of the reason I’m a storyteller. Unlike other Potter fans, I did like to read before I ever saw those books (as my Bio Page will attest to). But it was the fantasy, the humor, and the intricate plots of the Potter novels that lit up my imagination and made me want to write stories, not just read them. And it’s been a huge part of my life in other ways. The series as a whole, book and film, has seen me through elementary school, high school, college, and now with the new play and companion films, my adult life. I could go on and on (and on and on).
But to get to the point, I found my thoughts turning back to the first book last night as I was meditating on what I had to do to get ready for the Startup Institute program. It just popped in there: ‘I should read Philosopher’s Stone again.’ As if I didn’t have other things I should be doing.
Which made me think of the other times I’ve turned to this volume in the midst of stress: My first week of high school, my first year of college, studying abroad in Spain, the week before graduation.
All life transitions.
But why did I instinctively choose this book in those times of stress? Was it just because of the nostalgia factor? Escapism? Why not the film?