I am a bookworm…or at least, I used to be.
I was that crazy person who read the entire "Harry Potter" series during CRCT testing (before they declared reading during the test was cheating, of course). My bookshelves were absolutely overflowing with wonderfully smelling books. I dreamt of becoming a novelist, of inventing worlds of my own that I had read about, and characters the readers could fall in love with or strive to become. I read my favorites over and over again until I practically had them memorized. I would pull all-nighters because I was unable to pull my eyes away from the pages.
What happened?
I feel like I just woke up one day and suddenly, I wasn’t reading anymore. I was sucked into binge-watching television shows, as in finishing a series with ten seasons within days. Although I still love collecting books and libraries are some of my favorite places, I just don’t get nearly as excited at the prospect of books as I used to. Whenever I try to get back into reading, I feel really uncomfortable. My arms fall asleep, my back aches, how did I use to spend literally days doing this? It’s like reading for pleasure has become a chore, and that is the exact opposite that it should be.
What happened?
Maybe it’s because I now spend hours during the week reading course material. Maybe it’s because when I’m not struggling through assigned readings, I am re-watching shows on Netflix for the twentieth time instead of re-reading "Water for Elephants" for the twentieth time. Maybe it’s because new material is seriously lacking, so why would I even try? Of course these are more excuses than actual reasons. Have I outgrown the pages of a book? If you asked middle school Maddie whether or not she would ever choose "The Office" over "Eragon" she would call you crazy and smack you with that 509-page masterpiece.
Books are incredible. Reading is so vitally important in my opinion, whether you read "Green Eggs and Ham" one too many times or your mom forced "Harry Potter" on you way too young (aka me), you still read in some shape or form growing up. Reading increases our knowledge of vocabulary, how the English language forms, and general comprehension. It helps our imaginations and creativity grow and flourish, especially when we are younger. Reading was my addiction growing up, so many books have been torn to shreds because they were carried around in backpacks or shoved into lockers.
Never stop reading for fun, friends, and if you never did – definitely keep it up. There’s something beautiful about ink on a page creating an entire universe for you to explore. It is important for me to consciously work to bring back that aspect of myself, to unplug and return to the pages rather than watching them flicker across a screen.
You can be anything – all you have to do is take a look, it’s in a book! Because once you stop, it may be incredibly difficult to start again. So, whether it is revisiting Middle Earth or discovering new and exciting universes or autobiographies of YouTubers, don’t become some one “who used to read” but someone who never stopped.
