Growing up, I loved reading. I could spend hours with just a book in my hands and become fully immersed in the story and characters. But with so many binge-worthy shows and social media, my love for reading dwindled. During quarantine, I also discovered fanfiction, which can arguably be considered reading. However, it was not the average reading experience that I missed. I wasn't as captivated and intrigued as I used to be when I would read novels. College also took away the leisure time I used to be able to devote to reading.

But if quarantine has taught me anything, it is to never under-appreciate reading again.

I began to rekindle my love for reading by rereading one of my favorite books. While some people were obsessed with "Harry Potter" or "Twilight," I was obsessed with "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." I still remember being in third grade and picking up "The Lightning Thief" for the first time. I instantly fell in love and was hooked. This obsession led to me buying every new Percy Jackson book that came out and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. Later, I thought I was too old to continue to buy every new Percy Jackson book, and it just became a fond memory in the back of my mind.

Time spent in quarantine had me reflecting on and remembering how the book series made me feel, and since I had nothing better to do, I picked up "The Lightning Thief" and began to reread it.

I was instantly transported back to when I was a kid and felt as if I was discovering the book series again for the first time. The minute I finished the first book, I moved onto the next one and just kept going. Not only did this help the time pass, but it returned a memorable joy to my life. It is a kind of joy that is just pure, unadulterated fun. And as a true child of Athena (Percy Jackson reference), I finally started reading new books and having just as much fun.

Quarantine has surprisingly led to many good things for me. It taught me the importance of creating a bucket list, the joy that comes from reading an actual book, what type of learner I am, and to never take life for granted.

Quarantine is a learning experience; try to examine things that you might miss from when you were a kid or in high school and see if they can bring you as much joy as they did back then, like reading did for me.