Reading as a Lifelong Companion: A Personal Reflection

Reading has been one of my favorite hobbies growing up, all thanks to my dad, who is an avid reader, a literature professor, and the owner of a mini library in our house. These qualities of my dad aid our love for reading, even if we don't; he makes sure we do because, according to him, we are reminding him of one of his favorite quotes relating to reading, which says, "Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary," by Jim Rohn. Through the years I used to move from one book to another without getting tired, from reading novels to storybooks, motivational books, religious ones, and the like. However, despite my love of reading, in recent times I haven't really been active in it, and below I'll tell you more details about me and reading.

When growing up we didn't have smartphones, so all forms of books available to us then were physical handy books, and they didn't detach us from embarking on our reading habits. My siblings and I so much enjoyed reading to the point where, after concluding a book, we would brag about it between ourselves, talk about it, and explore the concept of the storyline. These habits even got to a point where they brooded our critical thinking to the point where we began to write novels of our own. Nowadays we now have smartphones, and with that comes e-books, which seem to be easier to read, given that you can easily take note, easily locate where you read last time, read anywhere you find yourself without carrying excessive weight, and much more.

My reading hasn't been consistent like it used to be while growing up, and the reason for that isn't far-fetched. Then I was dependent on my parents for my every need, and so I had a lot of time to myself to read, but now I'm an adult with tons of responsibility, and indulging in these responsibilities can be so time-consuming that one won't have time to relax, not to mentionfinding time to read. However, most times in my leisure time I still find time to read, although most of what I read are eBooks, and I use the text-to-voice feature so I can seize the opportunity to multitask, that's doing other things while still enjoying the beautiful in-depth wisdom of the book.

Being a teacher helps me remain a reader despite the fact that I don't have much time, but in that time, I've dedicated time to spending reading educational books that are meant to help me stay up-to-date and relevant as a twenty-first-century teacher. And given the nature of my subject, digital technology, it's a subject that evolves by the day, and that's why I often pick up my book on a weekly basis to enhance my knowledge about my area of concentration. So if I were to go with this, I'd say the last time I read a physical book was this week Monday, but if it were e-books, I still read one yesterday, but it was an educational book.

But if we're talking about novels, storybook life-lifting books, motivational ones, and the like, the last time I read one that was a physical book was two weeks ago, and it was a book English teachers in my workplace encourage students to read for their literature. The title of the last book I read is Bleeding Scar. It's a novel recommended for junior secondary school students, and it carries a story that talks about Linda, a young girl whose life was shattered due to an explosion that made her lose her family, and who got adopted by someone else. The book delves into themes of betrayal, trust, and the resilience of human spirits; basically, the book shows human capacity to endure, and it cuts across themes such as family, betrayal, strength in adversity, and the like.

The next time I'll be reading another book will be this week or the next, and it's also another storybook meant for the students. I just find it as an opportunity to reignite my long-lost love for reading, and having these books within my reach made me want to seize the opportunity to do what I love doing. So that's about it on the last time I read about books, what they're all about, and the next time I'll be reading.

All photos are mine.