Blog
#5:
Today during the morning, the power
went out on my entire street. The library had yet to open and my computer was
dead. I tried turning on the TV and switching on lights, but all forms of
electricity were not working. Unfortunately, I was unable to go back to sleep,
and without a computer or a TV I had very limited options for entertainment. I
decided to pull a book from my bookshelf and begin reading. The light from
outside my window was sufficient enough as a brewed a cup of coffee and curled
up in bed with my book.
This is something that I have not
been able to do for a very long while. I am quite often distracted with
technology (relying on it for entertainment) or focused on studying and doing
homework. I have not taken the opportunity put aside technology and escape into
the world of a book, until this morning. And let me say, it was incredibly
refreshing. The first couple hours of my day were dedicated to nothing except
getting lost in the Harry Potter’s magical world as he competed in the Triwizard
tournament. I had forgotten how relaxing it was to be able to read something
other than a required reading for a course.
Many college students often do not
prioritize reading for pleasure. After going to class, completing homework, and
studying for tests, it is common for students to simply desire to partake in
something mindless, watching Netflix for example. Even if they have been
readers their entire life, they do not feel like opening up a book and reading
more after already have spent hours reading for a class. Because of this, many
college students do no read a book for pleasure from cover to cover during
their entire college career. This is something that I consider to be tragic. I
did not realize it until this morning when once I decided to get ready for the
day, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated even though I had woken up at an early
hour. Taking time to be by your self is important, whether it is for self
reflection, devotionals, or for getting cozy with a good book. I encourage
everyone to set at least one day a week aside to wake up a couple hours before
their meetings and classes start to spend some time with a novel and have a
slow start to the day. I can guarantee that anyone who enjoys reading will have
a better day because of it.
Hanna, that's some great advice! For me, reading is that time to myself where I just tune everything else out and focus on relaxing. The image you described in that first paragraph was perfect. I could picture myself doing the same thing; just reading by the light of the rising sun. As someone who is more introverted, alone time completely rejuvenates me. I like to just take a day each week to just focus on me, addressing my thoughts, and just doing what I love. To me, alone time is a blessing, and it also leads me to appreciate the times when I am with family and friends for companionship.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that our lack of reading for pleasure is tragic. And you're right - after tons of homework, classes, and required readings, more reading is often the last thing we want to do. I'm a writing major and USED to love reading in my spare time, but I read one book this entire semester that was not required reading for any particular class. One. I had to force myself to do it (I have a personal tradition of reading at least one spooky book during October) and was glad I did, that I immediately bought a new book to begin reading. Guess how far into that book I got? Maybe 20 pages. Unfortunately, school and life and work just get in the way. I think after graduation my reading habits will get back to normal... hopefully.
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