I have to confess. I am not an english major, and I have never considered english or writing my favorite subjects in the world. When the question was posed in class about whether or not I have a literary life, the affirmative answer “Yes!” did not immediately pop into my mind. I grew up being encouraged to read. My mom would read hundreds of books, and she would go on about how great they were. I never disliked reading. Actually I really enjoyed it. But, when I was young, if I had the choice to hang out with my friends, watch or play sports, or do other activities, I would usually choose these other activities over reading a book.
As I grew older, I started to notice the effect that reading has on the life of an individual. I observed that my friends and family members that spent their free time reading books were significantly more intelligent in all aspects of life, than my acquaintances that spent their time doing other activities.
I also noticed that the same held true with successful people. I noticed that the majority of successful people are well read, and have a good understanding of literature. As I started to make these observations, I began to desire the intelligence and the success of these well read people, but this realization didn’t immediately change my personal preferences. I realized that if I wanted to make literature a part of my life that was just as important as any other aspect, I was going to have to acquire this taste.
Though I never disliked reading, it was not easy at first to make reading my preference over other forms of entertainment. It seemed as if it was a bit forced. When I had the desire to watch Netflix or SportsCenter, I would force myself to stop, sit down on the couch, and think about how much better I could be spending my time. I would go to my mom, who has thousands of books collected in our house, and ask her to go and find me “something good.” With excitement, she would go through her shelves, talking about how they were all so good, before picking out the perfect one for me.
As I started to read more and more of these books, I would realize, at times, that I was just as entertained spending time with these books, as I was spending time with my friends, or watching TV, or participating in any one of my hobbies. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I could read for longer periods of time without a break, than I could watch movies, and at the end I didn’t feel like a lazy slob. I felt like I had accomplished something worth doing. The more and more I read, the more it became my preferred form of entertainment.
I’m not going to lie and act like I am some sort of literary genius. I'm not ready to say that I have read "a lot" of books. I’m not even sure at this point if I can say that I do have a literary life. What I can say is I realize the importance of a literary life. I realize the benefits that come from being well read and understanding great literature. I can say that it is something I am working towards. It is something that I desire.
That is so true that if you spend hours watching t.v. you feel gross, but for some reason giving your entire day to a book leaves you with no regrets. Not everyone thinks that way though. You might be surprised to find that you have more of a literary life than you might think.
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ReplyDeleteNot everyone is the same, and it's good thing that we're not. I hope that you achieve all of your desires! Your experiences highlight the unique qualities of each person, whether their life is a "literary" life or not.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone is the same, and it's good thing that we're not. I hope that you achieve all of your desires! Your experiences highlight the unique qualities of each person, whether their life is a "literary" life or not.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this read. I can understand where you are coming from. I definitely was not the smartest kid in my family and had to work super hard to enjoy school, but it is seriously the effort that you put into it. I always say it's not where you started from t hat matters, but rather it's where you're going. Very inspirational.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this read. I can understand where you are coming from. I definitely was not the smartest kid in my family and had to work super hard to enjoy school, but it is seriously the effort that you put into it. I always say it's not where you started from t hat matters, but rather it's where you're going. Very inspirational.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mentioned asking your mom to pick you out a book, I had a horrible flashback to when my mom tried the same thing, without me asking. I think the book was called "Sword of Sarashah" or something similar. I hated that thing. Couldn't make it through the first chapter. Might have been 13 and rebellious, but still. You're actually kind of lucky it was a book you actually liked.
ReplyDeleteFor both my Dad and my mom, they really struggled with reading. They saw the good of reading though and really wanted it for me. Because of that I grew up reading a LOT and loving it. I've found that other aspects of a literary life, I have had to work significantly harder at and consciously at. I am only still learning to like some of the aspects of it.
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