Reading

I was inspired to write this random blog post about my hobby of reading, not for any particular reason but just because I wanted to get it off my chest. I hope you don't mind and don't find it too boring. 

My parents instilled a love of reading for me from a very early age. At first, before I could read, they would read books to me. However, once I learned to read, it was off to the races. 

I used to read anything that I could get my hands on. I would read dime store novels, kids books, fiction, non fiction, nature books, I would have even read a VCR instruction manual if I could have gotten my hands on one. 

I had a big green pillow that I used to support my head and back. Over the years, that pillow was permanently indented with the shape of my head. I don't know if they still do this, but when I was a kid, you could earn free tickets to the State Fair of Texas by reading. I used to read enough to earn entry tickets for my parents and my brothers. 

I love (and still love) the feeling of holding a physical book in your hands. I love the smell of it and turning each page. I love how you can get lost in a good book. The time can fly as you are transported to another world. As a kid I used to read for eight hours straight when we would drive from Garland, Texas to Orange, Texas to visit my grandparents (mom's parents). 

When I went through my depression I lost all my desire for reading. I didn't even have interest in looking at my phone. However, after I made it through the worst of my depression, my love for reading was reignited. It was just like meeting up with an old friend whom you haven't seen in twenty years. I am so very grateful and happy that I started reading again. 

These days, I am much more selective about what I read. I just don't have the time to read anything anymore like I did as a kid. Now, I read both physical books (still my preferred choice) and ebooks on the Kindle. Staring at a screen is not my ideal option for reading. Although, I will admit, 1000 books on an e reader weigh a lot less than 1000 physical books! I read mostly non fiction books. Inspirational, motivational and self help style books. Basically, anything that isn't a horror novel. 

I still do read the occasional fiction novel and the two best books that I have ever read in my life are Ten things that are good about the world by Hans Rosling and Picking Cotton. A true story about a woman who picked a man out of a police lineup as her rapist, even though he didn't do it. They later became friends after he was finally released from prison. 

I am trying hard to instill my love for reading in my daughter Eliana Valentina. I try to read to her every night before she goes to sleep. Oddly enough, while I do read the news in Spanish, I have never sat down to read a novel in Spanish. 

I have also listened to a few audio books. However, it hasn't been many, I prefer to read rather than listen. 

Well that's all for now. I know that this was random but I hope you enjoyed it if you made it this far. Til next time, Tyler