“She has no idea, the effect she can have.”
Maybe I missed it in the movies and it’s there – but I don’t recall Peeta uttering the iconic line. It was a line in the books that made me start to think about Katniss and the way that she can change all of Panem.
But I digress.
I have always loved to read. I have devoured books as if they were food – because they always have been. They have always been food for my soul. From the time that I was a kid – I opened a book and I was transported away from my life. I was given a world that wasn’t mine.
And I treasured that.
Because the real world is sometimes a painful place.
I picked up The Hunger Games at one of the most painful times in my life and like I had so many times before I retreated into a book.
I devoured the book in a few hours and went back the next day to read it again. Only this time I was armed with my highlighter and tabs. I understood Katniss – her walls up, her armor – her trying to just protect those that she loved. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Twihard until I die – but I didn’t relate to Bella the way that I did Katniss.
Katniss was in pain. Katniss was striving to grow. Katniss came with a freight train full of baggage. But she didn’t know the impact that she could have.
And that’s strength.
There are a lot of things that The Hunger Games taught me, but here’s what Katniss taught me about myself.
Everyone can make an impact.
Katniss was just a girl from District 12. She seemed to thing that she was invisible. She didn’t expect to be the face of a rebellion. But she ended up changing the world. Who is to say that you can’t?
You never know your journey – but be open to where it takes you.
Each one of us is just starting somewhere. Our journey isn’t always just where you are at the moment – it’s where you are going. Not just where you’ve been.
Who you are matters to someone.
There is a Peeta/Gale out there for each of us. There is someone looking at you and they are seeing the best in you.
The reality is that The Hunger Games was there for many of us in a time of need. That’s how books are supposed to be. They are supposed to change lives.
Katniss may be fictional, but she is my hero.
The Hunger Games is one of many books that saved mine.
What line from The Hunger Games resonated the most with you? Tweets yours with the #JointheHGRebellion hashtag.