Reading is magical. We all know it. Even folks who don’t profess to love reading have to admit that nothing else can take us out of the world quite like a book. Movies have their own magic. But that is another post.
Books take us on adventures, open our minds to possibilities, and teach us things even when we aren’t trying to learn. Some of my sacred habits for the past many decades came from reading a novel. Not a book on spiritual formation. A novel. Make believe characters taught me how to center the day.
Life feels so busy these days that actually reading an entire book seems impossible sometimes. Or we feel guilty for indulging in a story when the world is crumbling around us and the laundry is piling up.
But, even storybooks can change the world. If you don’t believe that, do a little research about the impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She may not have actually started a Civil War. But she influenced national and international thought.
So, how do we get more books into our busy days? Here are some ideas that might help:
- Get a library card. Real or virtual. You can actually borrow electronic books from many large libraries or from places like Amazon. A real card gives you the added sensory detail of seeing and touching books. Plus, you might make a friend there.
- Keep a book with you at all times. Download the free Kindle app on your phone, or tuck a paperback into your bag. When you are tempted to surf Facebook while waiting at the dentist’s office, read a chapter instead.
- Read fifteen minutes before bed. Experts say turning off electronics before trying to sleep will tell your brain to get sleepy. Something scientific about the blue light effect. Make sure the book on your bedside table is something relaxing. Although if you are reading a mystery, you might solve it while you are sleeping. Our brains are amazing.
- Establish a “Drop Everything and Read” game in your home. Make sure every family member has access to something they are reading for pleasure. Then declare a reading time-out in the middle of folding laundry. Or right after the kitchen has been cleaned. Switch it up every few days or establish a pattern.
- Read on your lunch hour. Pick a day of the week, and instead of running errands or catching up on emails, spend a few minutes with a good book.
I’ve found that I have to give myself permission to do these things. Deep reading has gotten lost in my life, and I sometimes feel guilty about stopping other important stuff just to read. But then I remember that God created the entire world with a few words. I never know what a new arrangement of our twenty-six letters might reveal in my life. So, I pause and “let there be” another adventure. And, it is good.