I started reading again over Christmas Break. I found some books that interested me and committed myself to ACTUALLY reading them. Quite the task when "reading for pleasure" has long eluded you.
I used to read all the time when I was a kid. I was the nerdy girl that was tired of listening to boring class in 4th grade and instead read my book strategically hidden underneath my desk - escaping the view of my teacher. I think her name was Mrs. Bonjourno... or something strange - I know it started with a B and she oddly reminded me of my Aunt Kathy - although not nearly as beautiful. The same small frame and reddish blond hair - styled larger than I'm sure it could ever be naturally
But the time I may have spent reading if I was 20 - 10 years ago - I spend on facebook, or online-window-shopping, or watching online television, or maybe perusing some news off of bbc.uk.com. Are you seeing a pattern? Computers are systematically murdering the need to read... the need that lies within all of us - somewhere deep... deep inside.
But once you are awakened to your desire to learn, and to read, and live through a character in a book - your life is changed once more. (Until you forget how much you love it... again.)
Along the same lines of reading comes writing. We make writing out to be this disastrous, stressful, excessive hobby. We are always intrigued and enamored by people who "write." Currently, keeping a journal is considered too time consuming or daunting for most. We most certainly don't write each other letters anymore.
The book I'm reading describes the beginnings of a courtship in 1901. Describing the task of writing notes - begging permission to take a girl on a walk around her block… sending them by mail - to someone who lived only blocks away. He sits waiting - in trepidation - for her response to arrive in his mail box. Can you imagine if we still did that? Obviously there's no need when someone could ask us in a facebook wall post - or even a message if they are romantic. Or heck - if they got the balls to get our number from a friend they could text us.
"Hey want to go out some time?"
"... by the way this is Tom - I got your number from Suzy."
How romantic. Thank goodness we don't read or write anymore - we have time to be wooed now that we've abandoned such frivalous exploits.
Along the same lines of reading comes writing. We make writing out to be this disastrous, stressful, excessive hobby. We are always intrigued and enamored by people who "write." Currently, keeping a journal is considered too time consuming or daunting for most. We most certainly don't write each other letters anymore.
The book I'm reading describes the beginnings of a courtship in 1901. Describing the task of writing notes - begging permission to take a girl on a walk around her block… sending them by mail - to someone who lived only blocks away. He sits waiting - in trepidation - for her response to arrive in his mail box. Can you imagine if we still did that? Obviously there's no need when someone could ask us in a facebook wall post - or even a message if they are romantic. Or heck - if they got the balls to get our number from a friend they could text us.
"Hey want to go out some time?"
"... by the way this is Tom - I got your number from Suzy."
How romantic. Thank goodness we don't read or write anymore - we have time to be wooed now that we've abandoned such frivalous exploits.
No comments:
Post a Comment