Up until last winter, reading wasn’t something that I particularly liked or enjoyed, because of the lack of motivation to do it. My parents never read with me and no one really liked to read with me when I was a kid, so I always found reading to be boring and unimportant except for class readings while in college in which case I barely found the motivation for. Last winter, my parents went to Korea to see my grandparents before they passed away, so that my stepfather could meet my grandfather. I was at home all alone during the Christmas holiday season. I spent Christmas Eve. at my church so I was around people then, but then the rest of Christmas day and New Years, I was so bored and lonely. I read my Bible to study, but then, I wasn’t able to read the entire Bible and study it. I watched television, but that didn’t help either. Finally, I decided to read a book hoping that it would pass time. I hated reading, but I was so bored that I decided that reading would be better than the boredom I was enduring. I began reading a book series by a Christian writer named Francine Rivers. Her series is the Mark of the Lion Series. There are three books in the series. I was given the first book in the series 6 years ago from the Sunday School leader at that time, but I never had the motivation to read it. I decided before my parents left to try to read it, so when I went out, I bought the other two books. I figured because it was a Christian book, I would give me some insight if anything. When I began to read the books, I looked at the titles and I looked at the images on the front covers and my thought was "okay..." I opened the first book and immediately as I began reading, I felt like I was in the time period that she wrote about. It was intriguing and exciting for me as a reading experience, although the series’ beginning was a bit sad. I finished the book series in one week. I was so into the series that I would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning reading. My eyes would begin hurting by then and my vision blurred, so I had to sleep. I would read the books every chance I got, even if it was only for a second. Ever since that experience, I realized that reading can be fun and allow a stirring in the imagination. I’m grateful that I did come to see that reading can be more than just a boring class reading; it can be an exciting adventure in the midst of a chaotic day. Since then, I have begun reading more Christian books that take me to that same exciting place of fun and adventure and in that place, I will never be bored again.
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Hey, I think that is very cool that you hated reading, and after reading that series, you really liked reading. I think its amazing how reading can make the day fly bye. I also think like you said, it is important to read books that interest you, not books forced upon you. Great story!!!
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny how at first you have a lack of interest in reading which then entails your boredom to inspire you to read. It’s always cool when you can actually get into a book when you are reading it and feel like the author wrote it just for you. I personally think that reading things that you like in lue to books that you are forced to read is a much better way to get into reading again because its enjoyment rather than work.
ReplyDeleteI too found reading boring during my high school years. Every book I came across was a bore to me in every which way. Athletics came into my life and reading just was not important to me any longer. Then my girlfriend introduced me to the Sookie Stackhouse Series, which the HBO show True Blood is based on and I found them to be quite amazing. They intrigued me so well that I found the joy in reading again. It only takes a certain type of book to reawaken that motivation.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how hard it is to motivate yourself to read in college. If it didn’t interest me, then I didn’t want to read it. Many of us have been down that road before. I feel bad you had to spend the holidays on your own. Nobody should be left alone on Christmas and I hope that was the only time that ever happened to you. Despite this, you still found a way to make the best of it and discover something new. You were given a wonderful Christmas gift even if it wasn’t from anybody. It’s the gift of enjoying reading.
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