Rediscovering What Was Lost

"She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live." - Annie Dillard

The first time I remember falling in love with reading was in the 3rd grade when I opened the first Harry Potter book. When I was in middle school I would hide in my house and disappear for hours, losing myself in some book or another. I spent most of my birthday money at Barnes & Noble. I read and re-read my favorite books until they fell apart. I loved reading.

But somewhere in high school, my love for reading fell off. I don't know if it's because it was suddenly required, or if I got too busy, or if I discovered the never-ending hole that is Netflix. I do know that somewhere along the way, I kinda just gave up on it. Sure, I still claimed that I loved it, and there were definitely times when I ignored my homework and read an entire series in a week, but it just wasn't like it used to be. Books weren't my escape anymore; my phone was.

I think over time, I assumed that reading was one of those things I liked as a kid and now that I wasn't a kid, it just wasn't the same. I assumed my imagination couldn't be as active as it used to be. I assumed that I couldn't find books worth reading. I let these assumptions convince me that reading was a fad that I was over. It was something that had gotten me to where I was, but it wasn't going to get me any further.

Then I spent the summer in Salt Lake City. For the first half of the summer I spent my nights watching movies and binging tv shows I had already seen many times. It wasn't long before I was bored and couldn't find anything worth watching. So I picked up a book.

Suddenly I felt myself transported somewhere else. Somewhere where I could still get lost in a good story. Somewhere where my imagination ran just as wild as it used to. I ended up tearing through book after book after book. I discovered that I hadn't lost my love of reading; I had just let it get taken over by a million other things.

This last week I read 5 books, including one 3-part series that I finished in 4 days. I spent at least 2 class periods reading on my computer instead of paying attention (probably not my smartest move, but I've done it before and I'll do it again). I can't tell you the last time that I did that.

I discovered that I never lost my love of reading because in reality, it's not just a love of reading; It's a love of stories. That's why I can binge a show for hours at a time. I love the power of stories. A good story, no matter what form it's in, has the ability to take you somewhere else. It can turn you into a hero or a villain or a bystander, watching something amazing play out. Stories awake our imaginations and give us an escape from reality. But I've also discovered that finishing a book is a lot more rewarding than finishing a season of a tv show.

I've always loved reading. I've always been able to lose myself in a good book. That didn't change just because I stopped actively seeking it out for a little while. I first fell in love with reading in the 3rd grade. Now I'm in the 15th grade, and I'm falling in love with it all over again.

Sidney

P.S.- Here's some of the best books I've read recently: