I regret to inform you that I am not as well-read as I used to be when I was in 8th grade. Sad but true.
When I was a kid I couldn't be found without a book in my hand. I once was that loner kid on the playground hiding behind the school with a book. Books were my best friends. I read everything I could get my hands on. I remember sneaking into my older brothers' rooms and stealing books from their shelves. I was in 4th grade when I read the Lord Of the Rings trilogy. I would hide in closets with a flashlight and a book. By the time I got to High School I had already read all of the required reading for English classes. Probably because I stole those books from my older siblings shelves while they were reading them for High School when I was in Elementary. To my siblings - If you ever got in trouble for lost books, I apologize. This is my 35 year late apology.
My High School English teachers allowed me to test out of required reading. Every. Single. Required Book. Including the Scarlet Letter. Already done. All done before the 9th grade.
That's about the time I stopped reading books. It's also the time I started sports and Cheerleading and all that crazy extra-curricular stuff in life, jobs, homework, etc.... It's not that I became suddenly stupid. I just got busy. And it got worse from there.
After college came marriage and kids and reading for fun wasn't something I did anymore. I made time for reading my scriptures but that was it. Apparently I am not alone. There are multiple reports you can find online about Americans and book reading. According to most research, after we leave school (high school or college), we quit reading books.Well, maybe not most of us, in fact it's really only a little over 25% say they haven't read a book in the past year. I would have fallen into that category until recently.
Okay, now back up....
I am not saying I don't read ANYTHING. No. Not true. There is a LOT of information to be found on the internet. I actually do a LOT of reading articles and studying topics of interest. But books... eh... not so much.
There are many ways to improve your intellectual health. You can take classes. Watch videos on topics of interest you want to learn more about. You can read articles. I love signing up for webinars. Another favorite thing for me is finding new fitness programs to get certified in just to learn about it and further my skills as a trainer.
Today I am working on picking up books again. The really crazy thing, back in the day, I used to want a home library, a huge room in my house lined with bookshelves. You know like on Beauty and the Beast when the Beast shows his library? That was my dream room once. There is something nostalgic and wonderful about flipping pages that you just don't get looking at a screen.
My love for books is returning.
I have a goal of a Book a month.
A fun way to improve both your social health and your intellectual health is to join a book club. Meet together with friends and discuss the book of the month.
Today's challenge for you is to pick up a book. What are you reading today?
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