Why read

I grew up reading books. I can still remember my mom walking me and my sisters to the Cleveland public Library every Sunday to pick up and return books.

The Cleveland public library was a member of the Cleveland Public Library Summer Reading Program. We would read ten books over the summer get Cleveland Indains tickets (now they are the Guardians go Guardians!). In School me and my sisters participated in the Pizza Hut Book It program. In that program after we made our goals we were rewarded with Pizza! I was taught from a young age by my mom and the public school system that reading is fundamental.

Confession time now, I would much rather read fiction than nonfiction any day of the week, but I am almost always in the middle of, starting or finishing a book (usually fiction). When I talk to my kids I almost always ask then a few things, how is school or work, how are there significant others and what books are they reading or read. The kids still in high school are usually not reading a book but the older ones are starting to come around.

My mom, the public schools and most of the adults in my life understood the importance of reading. Reading strengthens connections in the brain, reduces stress, it can even help you live longer! Here is a pretty good article that goes over the benefits of reading.

I didn’t know all the hidden benefits of reading growing up I just knew that reading as something good and that it took time and forced me to slow down. As a child and sometimes as an adult I can feel my life moving really fast and I do not seem to have control over everything. When I was a child it as the lack of control that I had trouble dealing with and reading offered me that control, I could read whatever I wanted and disappear to a story anywhere (some of the stories were in space). As an adult I am attracted to the ability to pace my reading. I can read as fast or as slow as I want. I try to carve out time for reading everyday.

It is important to encourage the next generation to do good things and reading is one of them. It is also important to do good things. So…. what are you reading right now? Is it any good? Should I pick up a copy of it? Have you read my book 🙂 ? My book . It is not great but its a short read and kind of fun