As the semester has progressed, not only has my motivation for some of my classes started to diminish, but my overall love of learning has begun to dissipate as well. I know that I’m not alone, in that we are all experiencing this pandemic, although at different degrees, we each need to find healthy ways to cope, or try to manage some of the stress in our lives. I’ve found that going back to my roots, where my love for learning blossomed and nourished me throughout my academic career: reading.
My passion for books stemmed from my mom’s stacks upon stacks of children’s books that she would read to the kids in her class. The vibrant, silly pictures and jovial wordplay captivated my young mind and left me eager for the next scene. As my passion for reading grew, I began to explore all the genres the Hasting’s Children’s Book section had to offer, albeit mostly fantasy and comedy books. My affinity for reading has always helped me navigate sometimes daunting amounts of required reading and lengthy book reports. I could write pages upon pages about the astounding world of Greek myths and tales of friendship and heartache Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series developed and the impact it had on my childhood. But, as my classes became more difficult and impactful, my time for pleasure reading began to fade away. With the strange circumstances surrounding my freshman year of college, I’ve found myself to become very lonely and uninterested in my studies, and overall unhappy. To gain back this spark, I’ve started to read a few pages of a book unrelated to school every night. In doing this, I feel as though I’ve regained a better sense of myself outside an academic setting.
           The semester is coming to a close in a few weeks, and I hope that for the remaining part of it and beyond society as a whole can take a look back at the things in our life that have had the most positive impacts on us, and try to get back into them. I think making more time for ourselves will not only benefit our mental health, but also inspire us to pursue what we love.