Reading Mojo
I got my reading mojo back! I lost it for awhile, a few months that felt like years, but it finally returned and I’ve been reading every weekend for the past few weeks. It feels good to get lost in a story again, really good. It’s funny how the loss of something like the urge to read can make me feel like I’m not me.
So what is it about reading that makes it so addictive for me? I know I’m not the only person who reads voraciously, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who gets so completely engrossed in a story that I don’t hear what anyone around her is saying. My kids joke that the best time to ask me for anything is when I’m in the middle of a good book. I say “okay” to every question then when I get mad at what they’ve done, they say “But Mom, you said I could.” It’s really rather sad. I become an inattentive mom when I’m reading.
One of the benefits (and drawbacks, apparently) to reading is exercising the ability to focus. Your mind becomes more nimble the more you read, as connections necessary for reading are created and the superfluous ones are pruned. The more you read, the better you get. The better you get, the more you want to read. It’s a vicious cycle.
Reading keeps your brain young, too. By helping your brain stay flexible, reading can stave off some of the effects of aging that plague so many of us. It improves memory and concentration. “Use it or lose it” is as true for the brain as it is for muscles, and quite honestly, for me at least, I’ve always accepted the fact that my body will grow old and wither. I can’t sit idly by while that happens to my brain.
It’s also a wonderful escape. When I read, the world falls away and I’m left in a place where daily stress can’t touch me. I can relax, take a mental break from my troubles, and there is nothing we need more in this crazy world than a way to take a break. And in the end, it makes me happy. My goal in life is happiness, so if something as simple as reading does that for me, I’m going to dive in and enjoy it.
If you’re like me and you spend a lot of time with your nose in a book, you’ve probably been asked why you waste so much time reading. I know I get asked that almost every weekend. I always answer by asking if they’d rather I waste my time watching television (which is usually what most of my family does) or by surfing the internet. Personally, reading is so much more gratifying than either of those activities, so I’ll just stick with my habit of devouring books on a regular basis while they’re brains turn to mush from lack of stimulation. (Aren’t I just the sweetest thing?)
I have several books on my Kindle and a few more on my list to buy. I would love to hear about your reading experiences, why you think you read so much, the ways it has improved your life.
I seriously relate to every word you just wrote. My husband does not comprehend why I don’t hear him talking when I’m in the middle of reading – I seriously can be sucked in and so concentrated, that I block out everything surrounding me.
Reading has always been an escape for me. To lose yourself in worlds that are created (or even real) gives you the opportunity to experience things you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
One thing that reading really does for me is contribute to my thirst to know more. My investigative mind is aroused. Case in point, I was never the same after reading Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl. As horrific as the Holocaust was, my fascination with it was intense. As crazy as it may sound, I wanted to experience Anne’s world and it inspired me to start keeping my own diary. I was emotinally moved when I read that book, at the age of 10.
Life feels emptier without reading and I am so thankful to count it as one of my passions.
I’m glad you found your Mojo!
xoxox Jules
I have been a voracious reader since the time I could read a book on my own. My mom used to tell me about how she would read to me before I could even sit up. I don’t know if that is what spurred my love for reading, of if it is in my genes, but I cannot imagine my life without books. I, like you, love getting lost in another world. At any given moment, you will probably find me reading two or three books at a time. Reading takes me to places I might never travel to in my lifetime and allows my mind to explore worlds where vampires, werewolves, fae and other creatures live alongside humans. When I need an escape from RL, the first thing I do is pick up a book. Reading is as important to my life as eating or sleeping and I hope that feeling never changes. Thanks for a very insightful column!