Rediscovered loves...

I recently rediscovered one of my loves.

My love for reading.

I decided to challenge myself to read 54 books this year. I barely read 10 last year. Maybe 12.

It’s January 21st and I am already starting my 6th book!

I LOVE READING.

I didn’t always used to love reading.

In fact, I remember not liking reading AT ALL in elementary school. And being compared to friends who enjoyed reading and adults wondering why I couldn’t be more like them.

Ugh. Frustrating. 

It has taken me awhile to get to a place where I can read “for fun.” For so much of my adult life I was reading non-fiction, reference books, educational books, personal development books, learning, learning, learning. To read something “for fun” seemed like a waste of time.

Silly mindest, I know.

But here I am now. 

I just finished the Harry Potter series.

I have a list of “Want to Read” books on GoodReads which is primarily fiction. (yey, me!)

I’m done with “learning.”

I want to be in the pleasure of reading a book. 

Get lost in a story. 

Spend all night reading a book again.

Well, maybe not… 😉 

But this cuddly guy has certainly made things more enjoyable... 

A fun side effect I am noticing: I spend less time reading news and being mindless on the internet and social media and more time reading.

I know. It’s awesome!

The Kindle is my savior. So is the Kindle app. Because I can use my phone to read. And that’s what keeps me off the mindless-ness. 

Bored in line at the grocery store? Read a book.

Waiting for your next class to come? Read a book.

Waiting for your husband to bring you coffee in bed? (I know, I’m spoiled…) Read a book.

Even though my phone has notified me that my screen time has gone up, I know why. And it’s A-Okay.

I just finished reading Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime (AMAZING!!! GO READ IT NOW!!!) and this one quote really caught my attention:

“If you add up ho much you read in a year on the Internet — tweets, Facebook posts, lists — you’ve read the equivalent of a shit ton of books, but in fact you’ve read no books in a year.”

Wow.

Just wow.

Spot on.

Now. That’s not to say I still don’t want to “learn”. 

In fact, two of the 5 books I have completed reading so far have been non-fiction. One about birds and one about fertility. All things I am currently interested in.

But I think one of my goals is to not only broaden my reading horizons but to also challenge myself to get into the habit of reading for pleasure.

Anyone reading this post, I am open to any and all book recommendations!

Random side note: my happynfit tradition of including workouts will commence soon. Just not in this post. Stay tuned for my most recent workout plan in the next post!

In the meantime, enjoy reading!

Do what makes you happy.