In the past few months, I have taken up the hobby of reading. As a child, I never really liked to read. I was never the kid who was constantly reading books like Junie B. Jones, Harry Potter, & Magic Treehouse. I only would read if it were summer books for school. I was talking to a friend about it; she experienced something similar when she was younger. She only felt the need to read for school and never enjoyed any of them. I had to agree because the books I was required to read in school were not interesting and not something I would pick on my own.
Then we started talking about how maybe we hated reading as kids because it was forced upon us. The book was chosen for us, the time to read was limited, and most of the time, an assignment was attached to it. And we discussed how this really affected how we looked at reading, and instead of finding a love for it, we despised it. Then we spoke about how, in high school, we were still on the fence about reading and how it felt like something we had to do until we read The Great Gatsby. This was the first book I was required to read in school that I thoroughly enjoyed, and so did my friend. From there, I started to realize that reading could be fun.
Then, during my second year of college, I started to learn to love to read. I read things from romance novels, self-help books, and more. I have read book after book and series after series this past year. I realized now, as an adult, that reading can be fun, and it makes me feel like I can escape reality and just really dive into these books. Instead of reading making me stressed, it calms me down. I love spending the end of my night curled up, reading a good book, and going to bed. I also feel that this is a better way to try to fall asleep rather than on your phone or watching TV. Overall, I have been enjoying reading, and if you have felt this way before, try to go to a bookstore, get a book that piques your interest, and start from there. WARNING: once you start, you might not be able to stop. Happy Reading!