Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

Reading a lot of books gives you a different thought process. Each book gives you the authors thought process. So when you read many, all the many add up to form yours. Same is the case with music. Music is all about feeling the emotion presented in the form of flow of sounds. All add up to give a certain feeling. Similar are movies too.
People who are ignoring these simple pleasures lack personality. Mostly because they have closed to themselves the most obvious and simplest leisure and learning activities. What kind of a person would do that?
Reading is one thing, writing a book is another. Everybody shouldn't write books. Everybody must read enough books. Reading a good book is like having a conversations with a person with a great mind. And who doesn't want some great ideas?

Two ways to live a life

Happiness is mostly irrespective of pains or sorrows. Its about accepting whatever is happening to you. About being ok with the circumstances and events. Anybody with too many regrets can't achieve the peace of mind to truly feel happy. When we are focussed, so our state of mind is also not disturbed easily.
Sometimes pain temporarily blinds our way. All we really need to do is focus on what we really want and see the bigger picture. And there are all the answers.
At the end of it, no matter how we sugar coat it. The truth of the matter is, there are only two ways to live a life. When you're happy and one when you're not happy. If you're doing a lot of things and still feel miserable, my dear, you are unhappy. You need to try something new. Make it right.
Of course this is something I'm not telling you. I am telling this to myself. It may or may not help you.