I’ve always been a reader.

At 12, it was comic books under the covers with a flashlight at 2am.

At 9, it was Little Women in a plum tree in Bolivia.

And yes, at 14, I figured out how to read in the shower.

I wedged the book against the wall, body shielding it from the spray.

Crusty pages, warped covers, no regrets.

Books have always been my escape. My regulation. My joy. Long before I knew I was autistic.

There’s a reason I have a tattoo that says paper has more patience than people.

Books don’t judge. They let me exist as I am: curious, quiet, intense.

Reading isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s a core part of my identity. A special interest. A sensory sanctuary. A way to quiet my brain in a world that never stops buzzing.

And honestly? I’ve built a life around that.

I bought a house with a pool not to swim, but to float and read.

I drive with audiobooks.

I consider 100 Years of Solitude the greatest novel of all time, and I’ve read it in Spanish, on paper, and in audio.

Fiction lets me exist in alternate realities.

It lets me rest.

There’s a graveyard of unfinished projects behind me. Passion sites, half-written blogs, domains I forgot to renew. But every single one was born from that same place: A mind that needs to go deep.

Hyperfocus isn’t a flaw.

It’s how I survive.

It’s how I win.

At work, it means I hit deadlines early and see patterns no one else does.

At home, it means I get lost in magical realism and come out more whole than before.

So if you’ve ever felt “too much” because you love something so fiercely it consumes you:

You’re not too much.

You’re just tuned in.

This episode is for the readers, the overthinkers, the audiobook apologists. The ones who know the story isn’t an escape. It’s a return to self.

If this episode resonated, I’d love to have you along for the ride. You can stay tuned by subscribing and considering supporting my work.

To hear more, visit rominamassa.substack.com